An 11-year-old Detroit boy has been charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a 3-year-old, the first such case that a prosecutor could recall involving a suspect so young.

Prosecutors said in a statement that the 11-year-old had been visiting his father on the East Side of Detroit on Monday when he took a handgun from a bedroom closet and tossed it out a window.

He then retrieved the gun and jumped into a vehicle parked in the yard.

The 3-year-old got into the car with the boy and was shot in the face, the statement said.

The 11-year-old, who was not identified because of his age, was charged with manslaughter on Wednesday afternoon at a preliminary hearing in juvenile court.