ST. LOUIS • A 10-year-old boy was fatally shot in the head inside a home in a neighborhood south of downtown Sunday night.

The boy was shot about 5:45 p.m. in the 1400 block of Kealty Lane, police said.

He was not conscious or breathing when officers arrived, and he was pronounced dead, according to police Lt. Joseph Crews. Homicide detectives were called to the scene and were investigating the circumstances of the shooting, including whether it was accidental.

Police did not release any other details about the shooting.

The address is in the Clinton-Peabody public housing complex, part of the city’s Peabody Darst Webbe neighborhood.

The neighborhood is one of the more dangerous in the city, and crime is up nearly 50 percent in the last six months compared to the same period last year. It has been the scene of gun violence several times this year, at times involving children.