A 4-year-old boy was killed late Thursday afternoon after he shot himself with a loaded handgun he found in a residence at The Hamptons Statesboro apartment complex, according to a release Friday morning from the Statesboro Police Department.

Capt. Jared Akins said in the release that SPD patrol officers and EMS personnel responded at 5:46 p.m. to the apartment at complex on Rucker Lane, off South Main St.

“We received a call that a child had been shot,” Police Chief Mike Broadhead said. “There were several people in the apartment when officers arrived. The child was critically wounded. We do know the incident was entirely contained within the apartment.”

In his release, Akins wrote: “Upon arriving, officers immediately rendered aid to the child before turning him over to Bulloch EMS for transport to East Georgia Regional Medical Center. Sadly, despite all possible medical assistance, the child passed away at EGRMC.”

SPD detectives secured a search warrant and conducted interviews with all the people present in the apartment and with family members to determine the sequence of events that led to the child’s fatal gunshot.

“While the investigation is still ongoing, the evidence suggests that the child was able to access an unsecured firearm and discharge it, fatally injuring himself,” Akins wrote.

Broadhead said detectives will continue to investigate the history of the firearm in particular.

“We will be investigating the background of the firearm itself,” Broadhead said. “Where it was purchased, who was the purchaser, who brought it into the apartment, how long has it been there. And then we have to really discuss who's ultimately responsible for securing it.”

At the conclusion of the investigation, the case file will be turned over to the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit’s District Attorney’s Office for review, the release stated.

Anyone with information on this case is requested to contact Senior Det. Eric Short at (912) 764-9911 or by submitting an anonymous tip through the SPD website https://statesboropd.com/ using the "Submit a Tip" link.