A 3-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed by 5-year-old boy in Minnesota, authorities say

• A 3-year-old girl was pronounced dead after an "accidental shooting" in Minnesota on Friday
• Cass County Sheriff Tom Burch said the victim was shot and killed by a 5-year-old boy.
• The department said an investigation is ongoing.

A 5-year-old accidentally killed a 3-year-old child by gunfire at a home in Bena, Minnesota Friday morning, according to a statement by the Cass County Sheriff's Office.

Just before 4 a.m., "deputies responded and learned that a juvenile female, age 3, had been shot by accidental gunfire by a juvenile male, age 5, in the household," Sheriff Tom Burch said.

Authorities did not identify the relationship between the two children, or where the victim was shot.

The family of the three-year-old were transporting her to a local hospital when she was intercepted by an ambulance. Authorities administered medical treatment, but the girl was later pronounced dead at Deer River Hospital, according to the statement.

Data from Gun Violence Archives show that as of Sunday, at least 196 children between the ages of 0 and 11 have died from gun-related incidents in 2021. Additionally, so far this year an estimated 239 "unintentional shootings" were by children, according to data from Everytown.

Burch said an investigation is ongoing and an autopsy from the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office is underway. KARE 11 reported there's no update on potential criminal charges in connection to this incident that will be filed.

The Cass County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.