Toddler Kills Self With Gun She Mistook for Wii Gadget

Girl, 3, drops dead as mom works nearby on computer
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 10, 2010 2:10 AM CST
Updated Mar 10, 2010 5:29 AM CST
Toddler Kills Self With Gun She Mistook for Wii Gadget
Which is a Wii controller and which is a gun? Authorities believe a Tennessee toddler mixed up the two when she fatally shot herself in the chest.

A 3-year-old Tennessee girl fatally shot herself in the chest with a gun she apparently mistook for a Wii gadget. The tragedy occurred as Cheyenne McKeehan picked up a loaded pistol left out by her stepfather that looked strikingly similar to a toy-gun Wii controller the girl had recently learned how to use. Her stepfather left the real gun on a table after checking for a prowler the night before, reports the Telegraph. The toddler shot herself as her mom worked on a computer nearby and her baby brother played on the floor.

"If you have a live handgun and a toy that looks the same—for parents some bells and whistles need to go off," said local Sheriff Terry Ashe. "You can see by the comparison of the toy weapon and the real weapon that there's little chance a 3-year-old would differentiate between the two." Police are still investigating and charges may be filed. Click here to read about another odd and heartbreaking crime.
(More Tennessee stories.)

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