Toddler Shot Dead By 4-Year-Old Cousin In Home Near San Bernardino

MUSCOY (CBSLA) – A two-year-old girl was shot and killed by her 4-year-old cousin Friday in the town of Muscoy, just northwest of San Bernardino.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department reports that the shooting occurred in a home in the 2700 block of Duffy Street sometime before 11:30 a.m.

Investigators say the boy accidentally shot and killed his two-year-old cousin. The child was pronounced dead at the scene.

Deputies told CBS2's Nicole Comstock the boy accidentally fired the weapon.

Neighbor Columbus McBath told CBS2 he used to see the little girl playing in the front yard of her home, a far cry from the tragic scene he witnessed Friday.

"Actually, all I [saw] was them bringing the kid out, put them in the ambulance," said McBath. He said it looked like the girl had been shot in her chest.

It wasn't clear how the boy accessed the firearm.

"We don't know at this time how the child got the gun, who it belonged to, where it was being kept," SBCSD spokesperson Cindy Bachman told reporters.

Several adults, including the girl's mother, who were in the home at the time of the shooting were taken in for questioning by police.

Sheriff's deputies arrested 53-year-old Cesar Lopez, Comstock reported. His relationship to either child wasn't disclosed.

They could potentially face criminal charges, but authorities are not saying what those charges could be.