TEMPLE — Police, fire and rescue crews went to a house Thursday afternoon on Forest Hill Road in Temple after a child was reported to have suffered a gunshot wound, according to the Maine State Police.
The child died as result of the injury.
Police said later in the day the gunshot appeared to have been self-inflicted. They described the shooting as accidental.
Other family members were at the house at the time of the shooting, according to Shannon Moss, spokeswoman for the state police.
An autopsy by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta has been scheduled for Friday, according to police.
Early reports were that the child who had died was 4 years old. Police were not releasing further details Thursday about the incident.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the scene, as did investigators from the Maine State Police Major Crime Unit.
As of 7:30 p.m., they remained at the scene, where police technicians continued to collect evidence.
Witnesses in the area said police blocked off a section of Forest Hill Road, near Varnum Pond Road, as rescue crews responded.
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