Police: N.J. boy, 6, dies after being shot by 4-year-old

Anthony Panissidi and Stephanie Loder, The Asbury Park (N.J.) Press

A Toms River, N.J., police car sits at the end of the driveway at the McCormick Drive home where a 6-year old boy was shot in the head by his 4-year-old friend.

6-year-old shot with .22-caliber rifle
One shot was fired
Police trying to determine how 4-year-old child was able to gain access to a loaded gun

TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A 6-year-old boy died Tuesday, a day after after his 4-year-old neighbor shot him in the head with a rifle while the two were playing outside of a Toms River home.

Brandon Holt, who was a student at St. Joseph's Grade School in Toms River, died at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he had been flown after being shot on Monday, Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said.

Brandon had been sitting in a all-terrain vehicle about 15 yards away from his house when he was shot once by a 4-year-old playmate, Mastronardy said. The boy's father immediately secured the .22-caliber gun while the mother called 911.

"Unfortunately, it's a tragic accident," Mastronardy said. "Right now, what we want to concentrate (on) is working with the family and helping them through this difficult time."

Whether the boy actually pulled the gun's trigger or it accidentally discharged remains under investigation, Mastronardy said.

But how a 4-year-old child was able to gain access to a loaded gun was the question that was on the minds of many Tuesday and one that authorities did not answer.

The investigation into the shooting is being turned over to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, said Al Della Fave, acting media liaison for the Ocean County Prosecutor's office.

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