Eastlake police confirmed Tuesday that the gunshot that killed a 3-year-old boy last week was self-inflicted.
Just after 7 p.m. on Friday, Eastlake officers responded to a Willoughby hospital after a toddler, Paul Bradley, was brought in with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, police said.
RELATED: 3-year-old boy dies after suffering gunshot wound in Eastlake
During the investigation, police learned that the gunshot was self-inflicted and occurred at an apartment complex on Vine Street.
Police say the boy was immediately driven to the hospital by his parents, who were present when police arrived.
Hospital staff worked to stabilize the toddler before he was flown by Life Flight to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital for further care, police said.
After hours of treatment and surgery, the 3-year-old died from his injury, police said.
Eastlake police secured the scene at the apartment, and the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, along with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, is assisting in the investigation, police said.
The completed investigation will be reviewed by the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office.
No further information is available, and police are asking that the family's privacy be respected.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to the family members of the child, and we ask that their privacy be respected by the public during these hard times," Eastlake police said in a statement.
