3-Year-Old Who Fatally Shot Herself On Christmas Day Succumbs To Injury

A retired policeman’s three-year-old daughter reportedly shot herself accidentally on Christmas Day. Having received medical attention, the child was in a critical condition for days. Authorities confirmed that the toddler was unable to recover from her injuries.

Former captain of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Tim Gordon, made a desperate 911 call on Saturday, Dec. 25. Emergency services arrived at the scene in Spicer Cove Road, Edneyville, North Carolina shortly after the call was made at 2:25 p.m.

Tim’s daughter Aylee Gordon was found bleeding but conscious, with a gunshot wound to her head. The child was airlifted to Mission Hospital where emergency surgery was performed on her by a team led by the Chief Neurosurgeon of the hospital. She remained in a critical condition following the emergency procedure.

On Tuesday, Dec. 28 Henderson County Sheriff's Office announced that Aylee had succumbed to her injury, CNN reported.

911 call recording released following the incident revealed the events leading to the tragic accident. WRAL reported that Tim failed to connect with 911 initially due to the poor network in the rural area where the incident took place. When he was finally able to talk to a 911 dispatcher, he told the dispatcher that his daughter had shot herself in the head.

The distraught father added that the child’s mother, Anya Gordon, had been trying to keep the child calm. He told the dispatcher that the family had received some visitors for Christmas. One of the visitors left their gun in Tim’s vehicle.

Later in the day, the family drove to Spicer Cove Road where the children were riding their bikes. Aylee reportedly crashed her bike and soiled herself. Anya was about to take the child back home to get her changed. However, the toddler reportedly found the gun and shot herself accidentally.

Authorities shared that the gun that Aylee shot herself with was a 9-millimeter handgun. The identity of the gun’s owner has not been revealed.

An investigation has been launched into the incident. Once the investigation is completed it will be submitted to District Attorney Andrew Murray. The District Attorney’s office and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation will take a joint decision on the charges to be filed.