Alabama boy, 2, dies after shooting himself, family says

Ke'Anthony Jelks Jr. died after he found a gun and shot himself in the face, his family said. (Twitter)

A 2-year-old Alabama boy died after he found a gun and shot himself in the face on Wednesday, family members said.

Angela Jelks Gilliam said her great-grandson Ke’Anthony Jelks Jr. was with his parents when he shot himself around 10 a.m. in a Birmingham apartment complex, AL.com reported.

"My daughter called me and told me her grandbaby was dead,'' Gilliam said.

She said the boy’s father legally carried a gun for protection because of his work hours, WBRC-TV reported.

“The father had just gotten off work,” Gilliam said. “And probably just set the gun somewhere and like I said, children look and play around with stuff. And that just probably happened to fall in his eyesight. And he got it.”

No one else was reported injured or arrested.

Birmingham police were still investigating and would not confirm whether Jelks Jr. shot himself, but pleaded with the public to practice firearms safety.

”For those who carry guns, we ask them to be safe,” said Birmingham police Capt. James Jackson. "Make sure you know how to use a gun, make sure you have the gun in a safe place. We’re asking people to be safe with guns, especially when there are kids in the home.”

Gilliam said her great-grandson was beloved by all, saying he “was like an old man in a baby’s body.”