COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 3-year-old boy died after unintentionally shooting himself inside a southeast side apartment complex on Monday, according to the Columbus Division of Police.

Columbus police officers were called to an apartment complex on Kodiak Drive around 8:55 a.m. on a report of a juvenile who had shot themselves.

The toddler, identified by police as Cartier Smith, was taken to Nationwide Children's Hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead at 9:51 a.m.

Police say homicide detectives conducted a preliminary investigation and determined Smith accessed an unsecured handgun inside the apartment and shot himself.

According to Franklin County Municipal Court records, 29-year-old Carley Dials, the boy’s mother, and a man were asleep in an upstairs bedroom.

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