4-year-old New Jersey boy shoots 6-year-old playmate in the head

A 6-year-old New Jersey boy is reportedly in serious condition after being accidentally shot in the head by a 4-year-old boy on Monday.

Authorities at the Toms River Police Department said that the two were among many children playing in the Cedar Grove Road neighborhood on Monday night when the 4-year-old boy went inside and retrieved a .22 caliber rifle, according to the Star-Ledger. The 6-year-old suffered a single gunshot wound to the head from a distance of about 15 yards.

Police said that parents were "nearby," but would not say if the gun was owned legally.

The 6-year-old boy was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he was in serious condition on Tuesday morning.

Toms River Patch reported that Assistant Superintendent James Hauenstein said that counselors would be available at Saint Joseph's Grade School, where the 6-year-old boy was a student, to speak with students about the shooting.

Watch this video from Fox 6, broadcast April 9, 2013.

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