A 3-year-old boy who died of a gunshot wound on Friday may have “gained access” to a loaded pistol inside a Houston home and turned the weapon on himself, authorities said.

The manner and cause of death are still under investigation, but Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said preliminary information suggests the shooting was a “tragic” accident.

His parents and about four or five other children, including siblings of the victim, were home at the time of the shooting early Friday afternoon, according to the sheriff. It was not clear how many of the children were related to the boy, whose name has yet to be released.

Gonzalez said police found the child bleeding when they arrived at the house.

The child was taken to a hospital, but was pronounced dead later in the afternoon.

The sheriff urged gun owners to properly store their weapons and keep them away from children.

“We have to be responsible,” he said. “There’s no excuse for a child to gain access to a weapon. That’s against the law. You can be prosecuted for that.”

Similar shootings have made headlines around the country in recent months. A 2-year-old boy in Indiana died last month after police said he found his mother’s unsecured firearm and accidentally shot himself. In August, a 3-year-old boy grabbed his father’s loaded weapon and fatally shot himself in the head inside a West Virginia home.

Police in Texas are investigating the latest incident to determine whether the parents will be charged.