A South Carolina man and his 2-year-old son are both dead after the little boy found a loaded gun at his home and mortally wounded himself, police said.
Keon Myers, of Columbia, was so despondent over the accidental shooting of his son, Kyree Myers, that he then shot himself, according to Columbia police officials. Both the toddler and the 38-year-old father were pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Columbia police officials said in a news release that officers responded to the family's home around 11 a.m. Wednesday after the boy's mother called 911. When officers arrived, they found Myers threatening to shoot himself.
Despite officers’ attempts to get the grieving father to drop the weapon, he shot himself in the head, the news release said.
Autopsies found that both father and son died of single gunshot wounds to the head.
"Our hearts are heavy at the tremendous loss of life," Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook said in a statement. "We have victim advocates assigned to the case to assist the family during this difficult time."
Holbrook said the shootings also took a toll on responding officers.
“They will participate in a debriefing to discuss the incident and receive further support as needed,” Holbrook said.
Investigators are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, to determine where the gun came from and who owns it.
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