An 8-year-old boy died hours after accidentally shooting himself in a car while his mother was inside a Utah gas station, police said.
The incident happened around 7:40 p.m. on Monday in Lehi — located about 20 miles south of Salt Lake City — at a Maverik gas station on Thanksgiving Way.
Witnesses called Lehi Police, reporting a possible gunshot wound to a child's head inside of a vehicle. Police said some officers were nearby, so they responded to the scene fairly quickly.
Bystanders and officers attempted lifesaving measures before the boy was taken to a local hospital via ambulance in critical condition. He was then transported to another hospital farther north for treatment, where he later died.
Police said the boy was alone in the car at the time of the shooting and that it appeared to be self-inflicted, but accidental. They added that the child's parent appeared to have been inside the gas station at the time.
An investigation is underway to determine how the boy got his hands on the gun.
The shooting happened less than two weeks after a 5-year-old boy in Santaquin, Utah died after accidentally shooting himself with a handgun found in his parents' bedroom.
This story was originally published by Spencer Burt at Scripps News Salt Lake City.
