Three-year-old girl shoots herself after mixing Wii control for stepdad's gun

Updated on: 10 March,2010 11:06 AM IST |
Agencies |

An American toddler from Tennessee accidentally killed herself after mistaking her stepfather's handgun for a Nintendo Wii control

An American toddler from Tennessee accidentally killed herself after mistaking her stepfather's handgun for a Nintendo Wii control

Big mistake: Cheyenne Alexis McKeehanu00a0 picked up the real gun from an end table and shot herself in the abdomen

Investigators said that the child had probably mistaken the weapon for a Wii control. Her mother, Tina Ann Cronberger (32) told them Cheyenne had played on the games consol for days at a time.

Little difference

Wilson County Sheriff Terry Ashe displayed two guns -- the Wii control and the pistol -- recovered from the home.

"You can see by the comparison of the toy weapon and the real weapon that there's little chance a three-year-old would differentiate between the two," Ashe said.

"If you have a live handgun with a toy that looks the same -- for parents some bells and whistles need to go off.

Police display the gun which fired the fatal shot (top right) and the
Wii gun recovered from the house

"Right now it's a terrible tragedy investigation."

The horrific events unfolded in Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee, on Sunday evening after Cheynne's stepfather Douglas Cronberger (32) heard a prowler outside the property.

He fetched his gun, which he usually kept unloaded in a cabinet and went to investigate. After failing to find anyone, he left it in the living room and went to bed.

A short time later, Cheyenne shot herself. She was taken to hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival.

There has been no decision if any charges will be filed against the child's parents at this stage.

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