A Tennessee girl, aged 3, accidentally killed herself on Sunday night, according to local police in Wilson County. The incident allegedly occurred after she mistook a gun for a Wii controller.
Investigators claim that the girl's stepfather had left a semi-automatic weapon on the living room table, and that the child had mistaken it for a Nintendo Wii controller. The child is then said to have fatally shot herself in the abdomen. She was rushed to hospital, but pronounced dead the same night.
No charges have been filed in the case.
We advise parents concerned about their child's safety regarding Wii hardware to consult Nintendo's Wii safety page.
UPDATE: New details come pouring in, courtesy of local news channels. The gun is apparently a .380 caliber semi automatic handgun. The stepfather claims he was asleep at the time of the incident, according to authorities. The stepfather also claims the child's mother was in the room with the child at the time of the incident. The mother has told authorities the girl might have thought she was playing with a Nintendo Wii controller that resembled a gun. According to the stepfather, the gun was out because he had heard a prowler and gotten the gun out earlier that evening. He then left the gun on the table in the living room.
