A 3-year-old boy was killed Friday morning after picking up a gun and accidentally shooting himself, according to Anchorage police.
The father told police that the child found the gun on a TV stand and shot himself around 9:15 a.m. in a home on Loretta Lane near 48th Avenue, said Anchorage police spokeswoman Anita Shell. The neighborhood is south of Tudor Road, east of Lake Otis Parkway.
Police said the child was home alone with his father, Timothy Joseph, 28, at the time.
The child's mother, Karee A. Joseph, 44, arrived home shortly after the shooting. Both parents were interviewed Friday at police headquarters, police said.
Investigators think the shooting was an accident, but criminal charges are still possible, Shell said. No charges had been filed as of Friday afternoon, with police releasing few details about the case.
Neighbors say Timothy Joseph seemed to routinely watch the boy in the mornings after the mother left for work.
A miniature plastic basketball hoop stood in the family's driveway Friday morning next to a Nissan Titan pickup as investigators walked from door to door.
The neighborhood is a collection of brown-and-cream condos that wrap around a cul de sac just south of Campbell Creek.
Karee Joseph lived there for years, neighbors said. According to marriage license applications, she and Timothy Joseph married in 2008.
Neighborhood residents talked about watching the toddler, Samuel, grow as he played with his father or walked with the family on nearby trails.
"From what I understand, (Karee) was really waiting to have a child and she was a little bit older," said Shelley Turner, who lives across the street.
The boy was the couple's only child, neighbors said.
Contact reporter Kyle Hopkins at khopkins@adn.com or call 257-4334.
By KYLE HOPKINS
khopkins@adn.com
Anchorage Daily News