Northwest Indiana boy, 3, dies from gunshot wound following what police call an accidental shooting

Police say a 3-year-old northwestern Indiana boy has died from a gunshot wound following what appears to have been an accidental shooting. Merrillville police officers arrived at a home where the shooting occurred about 6 p.m. Monday and found medics working on the wounded boy, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. Cmdr. Matt Vasel says officers recovered a handgun from which one round had been fired. While he says it appears to have been an accidental shooting, it remains unclear whether the boy or someone else fired the weapon. Vasel says the child's relatives are cooperating with the Merrillville Police Department’s investigation.