A Jones County father reportedly is dead after his 2-year-old accidentally shot and killed him Thursday, news station WMAZ reported, citing Jones County Sheriff Butch Reece.

Deputy Coroner Stacy Gardner said the incident happened near Route 49.

Gardner said Jason Fowler, 28, died after the toddler found a gun in the house and shot him in the back, WMAZ reported.

"The victim was sitting down, was shot in the back," Reece told The Telegraph of Macon. "He calls someone and tells them he'd been shot. When deputies arrived, he'd passed away."

Fowler was pronounced dead at the scene about 9:40 p.m. Thursday.

Gardner said the family has been notified.

About the Author

Featured

Scott Jackson (right), business service consultant for WorkSource Fulton, helps job seekers with their applications in a mobile career center at a job fair hosted by Goodwill Career Center in Atlanta. (Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC)

Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC