A toddler is dead and a community is in mourning following a shooting incident in an Utqiaġvik home on Sunday.

The 3-year-old boy, whose name is not being released because of his age, was shot in the afternoon of March 25. He died from his injuries not long after, while on a medevac flight to Anchorage.

Police noted that while there is an investigation underway into the circumstances of his death, there is "no public safety concern to the residents of Utqiaġvik." Some residents have said they believe the shooting to be an accident.

North Slope Borough Police responded to the residence just before 5 p.m. after getting a call reporting the shooting. Officers arrived to find the boy badly injured.

Members of the borough fire department transported him to Samuel Simmonds Hospital, where he awaited emergency transport. He succumbed to his injuries while on the flight.

"This news has hit our community hard," said a spokesperson for the North Slope Borough Police Department. "Keep the Slope and this family in your thoughts and prayers."

Since his death, local residents have come together to support his family, organizing a 50/50 raffle and sharing words of comfort.

A funeral for the boy is expected to happen within the next several weeks. He is survived by his siblings and both of his parents.