4 Guns Seized From MN Home Where 3-Year-Old Shot Himself: Police

HINCKLEY, MN — Officers seized four different guns from the Hinckley home where a 3-year-old boy fatally shot himself in the head, according to police. One of the guns was an AR-15-style rifle, and another was a shotgun, investigators said.

Thomas Pauza-Moore, who would have turned 4 on Aug. 27, shot himself in the head with his father's 9mm handgun, according to court documents.

On Tuesday just after 9 p.m., Pine County dispatch received a call from a man screaming for help because his son had shot himself. Deputies responded and provided life-saving measures, but the child was declared dead at the house, court documents state.

According to police, the father and his roommate were in the basement of the home when they heard something fall on the floor above them. Moments later they heard a gunshot. They found the child lying in the father's bedroom upstairs, authorities said.

In addition to the guns, police seized ammo, a cartridge case, a holster, and a pocketknife, according to court documents.

The Pine County Sheriff's Office released the following information in the shooting death, calling it a "medical incident":

Just after 9 p.m. on Aug. 8, Pine County Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a medical incident at a home on the 500 block of 1st Street Southwest in Hinckley. When deputies arrived, they learned a 3-year-old child had died. The Pine County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating how the child died with assistance from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. There is no threat to the public. No additional information is available at this time.