Dad charged with murder in death of 4-year-old who shot himself, Missouri sheriff says
A Missouri dad was charged with murder after his 4-year-old son fatally shot himself, officials say.
The boy got up for a drink in the living room where his dad, Scott Hilton Jr., was sleeping in the Franklin County home Thursday morning. Hilton awoke to use the bathroom and heard a gunshot as he returned, officials say.
The boy found a loaded gun under a couch and shot himself, officials say.
He was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Hilton, a 34-year-old from Union, was charged with second-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Franklin County is about 50 miles west of St. Louis.