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SNOWVILLE, Box Elder County — A 4-year-old boy was taken to Primary Children's Hospital after his 3-year-old brother accidentally shot him in the foot Tuesday, police said.
The two boys were at their grandfather's home about 18 miles west of Snowville at the time of the shooting early Tuesday afternoon, said Box Elder County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Dale Ward.
The toddler was initially taken to Bear River Valley Hospital in Tremonton with a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening, Ward said. He was later transferred to Primary Children's for surgery on his right foot.
The home was being cleaned in preparation for the boys' family to move-in, Ward said, and the brothers' 6-year-old sister and grandfather were also inside the house. Their mother was outside while they "were inside with the grandfather playing," according to Ward.
"The two boys found two firearms, a .22-caliber rifle and a .410-gauge shotgun in the home," Ward said in a prepared statement. "The shotgun, a single shot exposed hammer model, was being handled by the 3-year-old boy. It is believed that the boy was able to cock the hammer of the shotgun and fired it in the general direction of his 4-year-old brother."
No charges were filed against the boys' mother or grandfather, whose names were not released, but an investigation is ongoing, the chief deputy said. Both guns were taken by police as evidence.
