Toddler finds pistol and pulls trigger, killing 25-year-old man, Georgia cops say

A toddler found a loaded gun and pulled the trigger, killing a nearby adult in a Savannah residential neighborhood, according to police.

It happened Sunday, Dec. 5, and the victim was a 25-year-old man, Savannah Police Department said in a news release.

“Officers responded to the 100 block of E. 64th Street around 5:30 p.m. for a shooting and discovered Dustin Walters suffering from a gunshot wound,” police said.

“He was transported to Memorial Medical Center, where he died as a result of his injuries.”

Details of the shooting were not released until Dec. 14, when police revealed their investigation centered around a child.

“The preliminary investigation determined that Walters was wounded when a toddler, who was just under 2 years of age, found and fired the handgun, striking Walters,” police said.

Investigators are calling the shooting “accidental.”

Police have not said what relationship Walters had with the 2-year-old, or who owns the gun that killed him.

An obituary for Walters reports he was a father who lived in Savannah and worked for Nelson Company, Inc., a property development company. Walters’ funeral was Dec. 10 in Rincon, Georgia, where he was raised, the obituary said.

“We grieve along with the Walters family,” Savannah Police Chief Roy Minter said in a release.

“As a parent, I cannot imagine what this family is going through or will continue to go through in the coming years. What we want to make sure now is that parents are aware that although rare, these incidents can happen with tragic results.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 12:50 PM with the headline "Toddler finds pistol and pulls trigger, killing 25-year-old man, Georgia cops say."