The toddler son of a San Jose police officer was shot and killed at home in Gilroy in what investigators believe was a tragic accident Thursday afternoon.
Emergency workers went to the home in the 7500 block of Kentwood Court at 4:56 p.m. and found the 3-year-old, whose name is being withheld at this time, suffering from at least one gunshot wound to an unspecified part of his body.
The boy was pronounced dead while en route to the hospital.
Gilroy police Sgt. Chad Gallacinao said the investigation is in its early stages, and "we believe it was accidental, however we are investigating to verify that and determine how it happened."
Gallacinao would not say if it appeared that the boy shot himself or was shot by someone else. He said the investigation will examine how the gun was stored at the residence.
He said the child's family is devastated.
"It's a very tragic incident and they are very upset, along with a lot of the neighbors in the area who personally knew the child and his family," he said.
Gallacinao said family members were at home when the child was shot with a handgun.
"Since the death involved a child, the Santa Clara County Child Death Protocol was activated to ensure this tragic incident is investigated to its fullest," Gallacinao wrote in a news release.
He said the joint investigation involves Gilroy police, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office and the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's Office.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Gilroy police at 408-846-0350, or the anonymous tip line at 1-800-782-7463.
Contact Eric Kurhi at 408-920-5852. Follow him atTwitter.com/erickurhi .
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