TOMS RIVER — One of the surest signs of spring on McCormick Drive in Toms River is the children, who flock outside on the first warm evenings of the year to rediscover their bikes and play tag and other games in the yard.

That was the case Monday when, a neighbor says, 6-year-old Brandon Holt and his friend were playing "pretend shooting" in the friend’s yard. Just before 7 p.m., the 4-year-old friend ran into his house and emerged moments later carrying a .22 caliber rifle.

The gun went off and Brandon, who was about 45 feet away, was hit in the head.

Brandon died Tuesday at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune as police investigated how the 4-year-old was able to get his hands on the gun and prosecutors considered whether to criminally charge any adults.

"It’s not good at all," Brandon’s father, Ronald Holt, said in a brief telephone interview several hours before his son died. "He got shot."

A source familiar with the case identified the 4-year-old’s parents as Anthony and Melissa Senatore, who rent the house in which they live on McCormick Drive. The source, who was not allowed to discuss the matter publicly, described Anthony Senatore as an avid hunter.

Toms River Police Chief Michael Mastronardy said at a news conference earlier Tuesday that Brandon was sitting in a go-kart in his friend’s yard when he was struck from about 15 yards away. It was unclear if the younger boy pulled the trigger or if the gun accidentally discharged.

Brandon Holt, who died Tuesday after being shot by a neighbor, in a Facebook photo.

Mastronardy said the 4-year-old’s parents were in the yard when the gun went off. He and Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato declined to release any other details of the investigation, including the name of the 4-year-old or the names of his parents.

A spokesman for Coronato, Al Della Fave, confirmed Brandon’s death Tuesday evening but did not release any other details of the case.

Debi Coto, who lives in the neighborhood, said she did not hear the gunshot but saw the younger boy’s mother looking upset and waving down an ambulance at around 6:45 p.m., not long after police said they received a 911 call.

Hours later, detectives took eight to 10 weapons from the 4-year-old’s home, she said. Authorities declined to say who owned the rifle that was used, whether any of the weapons were secured or if they were legally owned.

"Obviously, a loaded gun in the house ... it’s sad," Coto said.

Under New Jersey law, residents do not need to register rifles but do need to have a gun purchaser’s identification card to buy them.

The 4-year-old’s home abuts a sparsely-wooded hill held back by a retaining wall in the rear. A black Ford Mustang and Nissan Titan with custom large tires were parked in the driveway, and two bicycles, a dirt bike and a deer-shaped target rested against the retaining wall.

Friends of Brandon’s family said the 6-year-old was the youngest of three children and was in first grade at St. Joseph’s Grade School in Toms River.

"I don’t even know how it happened," said Daniel Watkins, Brandon’s uncle. The family, he said was simply "trying to deal with it."

Under state law, anyone who knows that a child under the age of 16 could access a loaded firearm in their home can be charged with a disorderly persons offense if they fail to securely it or install a trigger lock.

But advocates for reducing gun violence and a state lawmaker said the law is ineffective because most people don’t even know it exists and prosecutors rarely, if ever, bring charges when a problem arises.

"The common reaction of prosecutors is, ‘Oh, the family has suffered enough,’" said Bryan Miller, former executive director of Ceasefire NJ. "It’s not about suffering. It’s about negligence and it’s about the lethality that results and these laws should be enforced."

The case has been transferred to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office because of a potential conflict of interest with a relative of the 4-year-old boy having a job in Ocean County law enforcement, authorities said. The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office released a statement this morning that said they are gathering information and."will move to complete the investigation once this preliminary process has been completed."

Star-Ledger staff writers Christopher Baxter, Erin O'Neill and Seth Augenstein contributed to this report.

RELATED COVERAGE:

• Toms River tragedy shows need for better gun safety: Editorial



• Toms River boy, 6, dies after being shot in head by 4-year-old neighbor

• Toms River kids may have been 'pretend shooting' when one was shot in head with real rifle

• 6-year-old boy shot in head by 4-year-old in Toms River remains in serious condition

