A cookout in Tennessee ended in tragedy over the weekend when a
3-year-old child accidentally shot and killed the wife of a Wilson
County sheriff’s deputy.

According to WSMV, the toddler found the pistol and discharged it
during a gathering at Deputy Daniel Fanning’s residence on Saturday.

Deputies said that 48-year-old Josephine G. Fanning was dead by the
time they arrived on the scene. The 3-year-old child was reportedly
related to the Fannings.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) determined that the pistol
belonged to Deputy Fanning.

The Tennessean reported that the deputy had been in a bedroom of the
home with another relative looking at guns. The child later gained
access to the firearm on top of the bed when entering the bedroom with
Josephine Fanning.

Josephine Fanning was killed by a single gunshot, TBI spokeswoman
Kristin Helm said.

Helm also said that alcohol was being consumed at the cookout.