Boy, 4, shoots himself in head while mom, friend smoke marijuana in same car

In an unfortunate incident in Westwego, Louisiana, a young boy fatally shot himself in the head in the back seat of a car while his mother and her friend were smoking marijuana in the front seat.

Jarion Walker, four, shot himself over the weekend with what police determined was his father's firearm that was left unsecured in the back seat. In a press conference on Monday, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said that an autopsy confirmed that the young boy died from a self-inflicted contact wound to the front of the head.

The boy's mother and her friend admitted to the police that they were smoking marijuana in the car before the incident, while there were two other children in the car, a 1-year-old and a 22-month-old. Police determined that the other children were too young to have fired the shot by accident.

Deputies dispatched to Stilwell Lane at around 10:45 pm local time on Saturday found the child with a single gunshot wound outside a residence. The boy was immediately taken to the hospital, but he did not survive the shot.

The two adults in the car told police that they were not aware that the gun was in the car or the deceased had found it until they heard a gunshot. Authorities ruled the incident a negligent act, not a hostile one, and have not made any arrests in the case noting that they did not feel it was appropriate.

Sheriff Lopinto said, "They just lost a child, it certainly wasn't intentional by any means. When we collect all the evidence, we'll see where it goes."

However, the sheriff noted that the death could have been avoided if proper gun safety measures were followed. He said, "These kinds of deaths can certainly be prevented. Gun safety is something that is apparent and we should never leave a gun inside a vehicle for various reasons, this one being one of the most tragic reasons."

Jefferson Parrish Sheriff's Office advised the public to practice firearm safety to prevent such tragedies. "Part of responsible gun ownership is securing firearms at all times. Firearms should never be left unattended in vehicles or in the reach of children. Firearms should be stored unloaded and locked with a gun lock when possible," JPSO stated.