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Dad shoots self, 4-year-old son in head after gun fires during 'play wrestling,' Indiana police say

Posted at 12:02 PM, Jan 20, 2020
and last updated 2020-01-20 14:02:00-05

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A 36-year-old man and his 4-year-old son were both shot in the head on Sunday after a gun discharged while they were "play wrestling."

According to a report from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to a home in the 1200 block of East Zinnia Drive, south of Bloomington, on Sunday on a report of a gunshot wound.

When deputies arrived, they found two people who had sustained gunshot wounds to the head.

Deputies said the man was "play wrestling" with his son while carrying a concealed handgun on the small of his back. During the play wrestling, the gun fell from the man's body and one shot was fired, according to authorities.

The shot struck both the man and his 4-year-old in the head, police said.

Both the man and his son were taken to IU Health Bloomington Hospital for treatment. The father was then transferred to IU Health Methodist Hospital, and is expected to recover. The 4-year-old was transferred to Riley Children's Hospital and remains in critical condition.

The names of the victims are not being released to allow family members to be notified.

The incident remains under investigation.

This story was originally published by Bob Blake on WRTV.