A Georgia family had just arrived in Osceola County on vacation when a 4-year-old shot and killed a 2-year-old boy in their car, Sheriff Christopher Blackmon told reporters Monday.
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The adults in the family hadn’t even stepped inside their Airbnb rental home on Scrapbook Street in unincorporated Kissimmee when they heard a gunshot coming from inside their car.
The 4-year-old, described as a family member, had gotten into the car unsupervised and found the unsecured gun, according to investigators.
“It was laid out, it was literally in the open,” Blackmon said.
The child victim, whose name has not been released, was taken to the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, where he was pronounced dead.
Blackmon said his office is meeting with prosecutors to determine whether criminal charges will be filed. The investigation is ongoing.
Nearly 340 children under 11 have been recorded killed or injured by gunfire in the U.S. so far in 2026, with 32 of those incidents taking place in Florida, according to the most recent data from the Gun Violence Archive which documents shootings around the country.
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Many of the shootings were deemed accidental. One such shooting took place inside a Poinciana home in April, when a child survived accidentally shooting himself in the chest with an unsecured gun. No charges have been filed in that case.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office hosted a gun lock giveaway following that shooting as the agency urged gun owners to store their weapons responsibly. On Monday, Blackmon said the public can visit agency headquarters to pick up a free gun lock.
“If they can save one life, that’s a great investment to us,” Blackmon said.
Elsewhere in Central Florida, two shootings involving young children were recorded in Orlando this year, including a 3-year-old hospitalized in April after being shot at an apartment complex in the city’s east side.
In June, two girls, a 2-year-old and an 11-month-old, were killed by their father before he turned the gun on himself.
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