The weapon used was a Crickett designed for use by children, a coroner said (Picture: Crickett)

A boy aged five has accidentally shot and killed his two-year-old sister with a gun he was given as a present.

The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon while the boy played with a .22-caliber rifle at a house in Cumberland County, Kentucky.

Police said the shooting happened just after 1 pm at the property on Lawson’s Bottom Road.

The two-year-old was taken to Cumberland County Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.


Cumberland County coroner Gary White identified the girl as Caroline Starks and an autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday.

He told the told the Lexington Herald-Leader the children’s mother was at home when the shooting occurred.



Mr White explained the gun was a gift the boy received last year and was made by Crickett, who market guns made for children.

He said: ‘It’s a Crickett. It’s a little rifle for a kid [that] the boy’s used to shooting the little girl.’

Mr White said the gun was kept in a corner, and the family did not realise a shell had been left in it.

He said the shooting will be ruled unintentional, adding: ‘Just one of those crazy accidents.’

The shooting is the latest of several involving young children this month.

Brandon Holt, aged six, was shot in the head by a four-year-old whose home he was visiting.

Police said the boy obtained a .22-calibre rifle from inside his home and other weapons were found at the scene of the shooting.

And the wife of a sheriff’s deputy died after a four-year-old found a loaded pistol and shot her during a family gathering.