12-year-old boy dies after being accidentally shot by 14-year-old brother: Police

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A 12-year-old boy died at the hospital after being accidentally shot by his 14-year-old brother while inside a West Philadelphia home, according to police.

Officers responded just after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to the 800 block of Brooklyn Street.

When they arrived, they found the young victim lying in his bed, suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

The child was then rushed to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they believe his brother pulled the trigger. The teen is cooperating with police and is being interviewed by officers, according to Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

"At this time, it appears that this is a tragic, tragic shooting," he added.

It's still unclear how the teen got the gun.

"Right now, we're going to try to determine why this gun was in the house and who the gun belongs to," Small said.

Small said the only adult in the home was a woman in her late 30s who, police believe, is the mother of both children involved.

"There were about six people in the property at the time. The only adult was the mother, who's in her late 30s, but there were some very, very young children, about three or four years of age," Small said.

Police say this tragedy is an unfortunate reminder to other families with a gun in their home.

"We do get these accidental shootings every year and it's very important that if there's a gun inside a house that you have a trigger lock, it's out inside a safe and it's kept a safe distance away," Small said.

No further information on the shooting was immediately available.

Action News has been told detectives and the district attorney's office will determine if any charges will be filed.