3-year-old fatally shoots deputy's wife with his gun at Tennessee cookout

A cookout in Tennessee ended in tragedy over the weekend when a 3-year-old child accidentally shot and killed the wife of a Wilson County sheriff's deputy.

According to WSMV, the toddler found the pistol and discharged it during a gathering at Deputy Daniel Fanning's residence on Saturday.

Deputies said that 48-year-old Josephine G. Fanning was dead by the time they arrived on the scene. The 3-year-old child was reportedly related to the Fannings.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) determined that the pistol belonged to Deputy Fanning.

The Tennesseanreported that the deputy had been in a bedroom of the home with another relative looking at guns. The child later gained access to the firearm on top of the bed when entering the bedroom with Josephine Fanning.

Josephine Fanning was killed by a single gunshot, TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm said.

Helm also said that alcohol was being consumed at the cookout.

The Associated Press and WKRN reported that the child was 4 years old.

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