The Shadow
A three-year-old Alleghany County boy died after he suffered a gunshot wound to the head Tuesday evening.
The boy died after he was airlifted to a trauma unit at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
The incident happened in the 1600 block of East Dolly Ann Drive in Covington, according to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office was called to the scene shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday. When authorities arrived, they discovered that a handgun was involved in the incident.
Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Matt Bowser said several family members were inside the house when the incident occurred. They will be interviewed as part of the investigation.
Virginia State Police assisted in processing evidence at the scene.
“We should know more as the investigation unfolds,” Bowser said. “We don’t expect any additional threats to the public.”
The boy’s body was sent to the medical examiner’s office in Roanoke Wednesday morning for an autopsy.
Bowser noted that this is the second child-shooting death the sheriff’s office has investigated over the past 18 months. In 2020, a child died in a gun-related incident at a Lake Moomaw campground.
“It’s never easy when you have to work these situations,” he said. “We are asking for prayers of comfort for the family and they have asked that their privacy be respected.”
