2-year-old finds deputy's gun, unintentionally shoots and kills himself

2-year-old Josiah Tate, of Anderson, South Carolina, was at home when he found a loaded, unlocked handgun in a bedroom. According to news reports, the gun belonged to an Anderson County deputy sheriff who lived at the home. Apparently, the deputy put his gun on a bedroom counter and left to run errands. The local coroner told reporters that Josiah's mother saw him playing with the gun just seconds before he was shot:

"She saw him playing with it, and before she could get over to him to take it away from him, he pulled the trigger," said the coroner. "this appears to be an accidental shooting....a horrible, horrible accident."
Josiah was taken to AnMed Health Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the head, but died a short time later.
A neighbor, who also babysits for the boy, told reporters, "It was just a few hours ago that I teased him about needing to have his shoes on before he could go home. He can't be gone. It doesn't feel real that such a precious baby should be gone."