SPRINGVILLE -- A 2-year-old boy who died Tuesday after accidentally shooting himself was the child of a Springville police officer. The boy was at home with his parents, who are both city employees, when he picked up a gun and shot himself around noon, deputy Utah County attorney Tim Taylor said.
The boy was dead when paramedics arrived. "The 2-year-old boy found a weapon that was just sitting there," Taylor said. "You know how quick a little 2-year-old can move."
He said investigators will look to see if there was any negligence, but at this point "we're not looking at this from the perspective of a crime." Neither police nor Taylor would release the name of the child or the police officer.
Springville police referred questions to Taylor. "I don't how the weapon got there, who placed it there, whether it was a service weapon or not," the prosecutor said. He said he did not know if any safety features were in place on the weapon or whether the boy's parents were in the room when the shooting occurred.
He believes the couple has one other child. Because the boy's father is a Springville police officer, the Utah County Attorney's Office was called in to investigate. The child's mother is also a part-time employee of the city.
Taylor said his office has an in-house team of investigators that will handle the investigation. "We're not looking at this from a criminal perspective, but as an accident," he said.
Springville Police Lt. Dave Caron would not answer questions about the incident. He issued the following statement: "The family, including all of Springville City's employees, ask for your prayers on behalf of this young family," he said.
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