A 3-year-old girl was fatally shot Saturday in Yellowstone National Park, her parents claim she accidentally shot herself when she got a hold of her father’s pistol.
Ella Marie Tucker and her parents were visiting the Grant Village Campground from Pocatello, Idaho. Her mother frantically called police dispatcher on Saturday to report the incident, but when emergency personnel arrived on the scene, it was too late to save her.
According to Associated Press, authorities revealed the age of the toddler Sunday and her name Monday, but have not yet revealed the name of her parents or how she got a hold of the handgun.
The western shore of Yellowstone Lake, where the tragedy happened, has been closed off as authorities continue to investigate the matter. They have not yet determined if the shooting was on purpose or accidental.
Reuters reports that this is the first fatal shooting to happen in the nationally-recognized park since 1978, and the first fatal shooting of a child in the park since 1938.