Boy, 3, dies after shooting himself with gun found in parents' room

James Lindquester died after he shot himself with a gun he found in his parents' bedroom.

A 3-year-old boy in the US has died after he found a handgun in his parents' room and accidentally shot himself.

Oregon boy James Kenneth Lindquester found the weapon in a table drawer in his parents' bedroom and shot himself in the head on Friday, KOMO reported.

He was rushed to hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Washington County Deputy Shannon Wilde said the call was among the toughest authorities had to respond to.

"I think if you ask any first responder, the death of a child is the absolute worst call that we go to," she told the outlet.

"It's tough, a lot of us are parents ourselves. I know some of the responders on scene last night have children, some have children the same age as this little boy and it's tough.

"We see a lot of horrible things but seeing a child in that situation is the worst."

No charges have been filed, but authorities are investigating the incident.

In 2018, more than 70 children died after accidentally shooting themselves with a loaded gun found in their own home.

At least 73 juveniles under age 12 were killed in 2018, roughly the same pace as the previous five years.

So far in 2020, there have been unintentional shootings by over 220 children. This has resulted in 92 deaths and 135 injuries.

Around 77 per cent of accidental gun deaths happen in the home.