A DAD has been arrested after his five-year-old daughter was accidentally shot and killed "with an unsecured gun" by a young boy who was related to her.
Rodney Matthews, 44, was taken into on custody on Thursday after the shooting – which police have dubbed "accidental" – took place in Merced, California.
Officers with the Merced Police Department were called to the crime scene at approximately 2.30pm after receiving a "gunshot heard" report.
The shooting took place at 1600 Block of East 26th Street.
Another report informed police that a young girl had been taken to the hospital after getting struck by a bullet.
Matthews had dropped off her daughter to Mercy Hospital – where she succumbed to her injuries shortly after.
As officers saw Matthews leaving the hospital and approached him, a "high-speed pursuit" ensued.
A preliminary investigation has led detectives to believe the five-year-old girl was "accidentally shot by another juvenile family member," police wrote to Facebook.
The gun that was discovered inside the home was "unsecured" when the boy got a hold of it, detectives said, according to ABC7.
Matthews also reportedly told police that he left the hospital to return home for his other children.
Matthews has been booked on "charges of child endangerment which resulted in the death of a child, felony reckless driving while evading officers, and a prohibited person in possession of firearms and ammunition."
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Merced Police Detectives and the Crime Scene Response Team are continuing to investigate.
Anyone with information is urged to call Detective Sergeant Solis at 209-385-4703.
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