3-yr old boy accidentally shoots and kills self

A 3-year old boy has accidentally shot and killed himself in the Houston area of the United States of America.

The unnamed 3-year-old boy, died after shooting himself in the head at home in north-western Harris County on Friday afternoon, The Guardian UK newspaper reports.

The incident is one of 3 similar incidents that have taken place within 4 days. On Monday morning,  a 6-year-old boy was taken to hospital in critical condition after being shot by his 5-year-old brother on Monday morning in north-east Harris County.

Meanwhile on Sunday, 4-year old Codrick Beal shot himself with a gun he found while staying with a family friend at a house still in the Houston area while his mother celebrated her birthday.

A cousin of Codrick's mother described the incident as "a terrible accident”

Accidental gun incidents involving children children have been on the rise in the US and according to a report from the anti-gun violence group Everytown for Gun Safety, an average of almost two children a week were accidentally shot and killed in the US between December 2012 and December 2013.

The report found that 65% of those deaths took place in a home or vehicle belonging to the victim’s family and usually involved guns that were legally owned but not properly secured. Another 19% happened in the home of a relative or friend.

The report further stated that "unintentional child gun deaths could be prevented: if fewer gun owners left their guns loaded and unlocked, fewer children would lose their lives"