11-year-old boy trips and fell on grandfather's gun, accidentally killing him

              11-year-old Thomas Belanger             ©BelangerFamilyHandout

Thomas Belanger, 11, was playing fort with his brother when he tripped and fell while holding a loaded gun, killing him. The gun accidentally fired when he fell, causing a fatal gunshot wound on his face.

                                                                                 ©BelangerFamilyHandout

According to Bean their grandfather, Thomas and his older brother, Ashten Belanger, 14, had taken a .357 revolver from a dresser drawer where it was kept and went to another place in the home for bullets for the gun. The brothers then went to play in a makeshift fort during which Thomas tripped on boards and fell while holding the gun. The gun fired a single shot to Thomas' face.
Thomas, a sixth grader, is survived by his parents, three brothers and two sisters.
"Teaching our youths to be safe and responsible with guns is very important for all involved in the ownership of guns," Bean said, in a statement released Monday morning.
Following the death, the sheriff’s department is warning gun owners to use gun safes and gun locks to secure their weapons.
‘We know that, historically, when you have unsecured weapons, children touch those weapons, play with those weapons, and many times there is a tragic ending,’ Detective Sgt. James Janisse said.