Georgia Six-Year Old Dies After Shooting Himself With “Toy” Gun He Found Outside

On November 5th, Tara Olmstead and her son, Zi zi, left their apartment in Calhoun, Georgia to let their dog outside. As he headed back home ahead of her, the six-year-old reportedly told his mother that he had found a toy behind their building. Children regularly lose their toys, and she thought nothing of it.

From inside their home, Tara heard a loud pop, and she sprinted to find him. On the floor of their apartment, she found Zi Zi with a gunshot wound to the head next to a 9 mm Taurus handgun, as reported by Black Enterprise. She then notified authorities and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Zi Zi attended school almost 70 miles north of Atlanta, at Calhoun Primary School. Michele Taylor, the superintendent for Calhoun City Schools, says that he was loved by all of his classmates, teachers, an dither staff members, and that he will be strongly missed. “Our deepest condolences to the Olmstead family, Zi Zi’s teachers, and friends during this difficult time!” the Calhoun City School posted on their Twitter account.

Police say that they have yet to discover the owner of the gun, but that the incident is still under investigation. A GoFundMe has now been created by Zi Zi’s grandmother to help fund the costs of the funeral that will take place November 16th at the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. Guests are being asked to wear blue and red to honor Zi Zi, who greatly admired Spider-Man.

For those who wish to contribute to the GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tara-olmstead-with-her-sons-funeral?fbclid=IwAR2o3LYaHeMwG9QGkalmsX2zZ9MJCIglLGw_KHlXo4rPMfduLC51WpzZERg