A 12-year-old suffered a serious head injury from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Meridian Sgt. Dareall Thompson. 

Thompson said that officers received a call about a juvenile shot at the St. Francis apartments, in the 2400 block of 4th Avenue, just after noon on Monday. 

The juvenile was taken to a local hospital and transferred to a Jackson hospital with a severe injury, Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobbler said.

“Based on the investigators’ interviews with residents in the apartment, it is our belief that it’s going to be an accidental shooting,” Thompson said. 

Thompson said, in general, adults with firearms in the home should store them securely away from curious teenagers or children, adding that he wasn’t making a comment about this individual case.