The children were at a birthday party when the girl, identified as Marina Rybak, was shot in the throat. The pellet gun belonged to a relative of the boy, Alaska State Trooper spokesperson Megan Peters wrote in an email.

Another child got the gun without the knowledge of an adult and give it to the six year old, Peters wrote. The six year old was taking the gun back in the house when he pulled the trigger. He didn't know the gun was loaded.

Troopers also reported in a dispatch Sunday that the boy had said that "he didn't realize the girl was in front of the muzzle."

The boys mother was inside the house, tending to the party when the incident occurred, Peters wrote. The kids ran into the house after the shooting and told her what had happened.

The girl was taken to the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital from Delta Junction Saturday evening where she succumbed to her injuries.

Contact Laurel Andrews at laurel(at)alaskadispatch.com. Follow her on Twitter @Laurel_Andrews