2 year old Minnesota toddler shot to death by 4 year old brother

Neegnco Xiong, age 2

There's been another shooting of a toddler by a sibling. A two year old Minneapolis boy was shot to death when his four year old brother found a gun and was playing with it. From an article:

A 2-year-old boy was fatally shot Wednesday afternoon in a Minneapolis home by his 4-year-old brother, who was playing with a gun that he found in a bedroom, police said.

The shooting took place about 12:45 p.m. in a townhouse in the 1900 block of S. 7th Street, in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, said Sgt. William Palmer, a police spokesman. Someone in the house called 911. Palmer said the 2-year-old died in the ambulance at the scene.

The childrens' mother and father, and a one-year-old child, were home at the time. The parents were taken to police headquarters for questioning, Palmer said.

Family members identified the deceased 2-year-old as Neegnco Xiong and his parents, Kao Xiong, the father, and Ma Vang, the mother.

"I'm in shock, it's scary, it's too much," said Yash Xiong, Kao Xiong's brother.

He said his brother had purchased the handgun at a Gander Mountain store in Eau Claire, Wis. about eight years ago when he lived in Wisconsin.

Yash Xiong said his brother had brought the gun for protection and had a legal permit for it from the state of Wisconsin. He said that the gun was kept on a shelf at the top of a closet, although his brother sometimes took it with him.

Here's some good advice from the article:

Although he said "it appears to be a tragic accident," Palmer said "we will fully investigate... what happened and present it to the county attorney."

He said the shooting underscores the need of firearm owners storing their weapons to keep them unloaded, with ammunition stored separately, and secure them under lock and key. 

Every gun in the hands of a child must first pass through the hands of an adult.

From another article about this tragic shooting:

The 4-year-old boy who fatally shot his 2-year-old brother with a pistol in an upstairs bedroom, had found the gun tucked under a pillow.

Kao Xiong, 33, who appeared to be overcome with grief, said in an interview that he had a permit to carry the semi-automatic handgun, and had wedged it under a pillow next to the bed’s headboard.

“My heart is broke,” said Xiong. “I wish I could be a new person.” His wife, Ma Vang, who sat nearby and speaks little English, looked on but had no comment.

Xiong said he worked for a St. Paul non-profit that helps the mentally ill and had come home for lunch. His wife was vacuuming so Neegnco Xiong, 2, and his 4-year-old brother went upstairs and were playing in the bed.

The couple heard a single gunshot and rushed upstairs to find Neegnco hunched on the bed, face down, Xiong said. He told his wife to call 911, picked up the toddler and then spoke to a dispatcher, while he intermittently gave the the boy CPR.

“I can’t imagine this terrible thing would happen to me,” Xiong said. He said he bought the gun a year and a half ago at a sporting good store and taken classes and gotten a permit. He said he kept the gun loaded because he sometimes carried it with him, if he went to a store at night or went jogging. Police interviewed Xiong on Wednesday. Sgt. William Palmer, a Minneapolis police spokesman, called it a "horrible accident" but said an investigation is being conducted and the findings will be turned over to the Hennepin County attorney's office.

(a related article)

UPDATE (12/30/12):  The father, Kao Xiong, is being charged with two felonies for leaving his guns within easy reach of his children, leading to the shooting.