Girl, 5, Dead After 3-Year-Old Cousin Shot Her Dead During Shocking Thanksgiving Accident in Georgia

On Thanksgiving, a five-year-old girl was shot in the chest after her three-year-old cousin bumped against a loaded pistol that had been left resting on a chair, causing it to fire.

After her father, Nathaniel, hurried to paramedics with the small girl cradled in his arms after she was shot at their apartment at 7 pm, Khalis Eberhart was brought to Grady Memorial Hospital in South Fulton, Georgia.

South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows told 11Alive that the gun belonged to the three-year-old's father. The unintentional Thanksgiving gunshot was "shocking and painful," according to the family.

3-year-old child shot cousin dead

According to her grandma, Tracy Towns, Khalis was survived by two brothers: a six-year-old and her twin. Khalis, according to Towns, was a "really smart girl" who was "extremely outgoing" and always had a grin on her face.

The shooting was still being investigated by police, according to the Atlanta site. A candlelight vigil for the small girl was conducted on Saturday, and a funeral has been scheduled for Monday. Donations for her funeral can be made through GoFundMe or by Cash App to the account $Freightbrokerage.

The girl's family is planning a funeral for her on Monday, following a candlelight vigil conducted in her honor on Saturday, during which her father was said to be crying. Tracy Towns claimed the child had a twin who had a "great bond" with Eberhart, as per Daily Mail.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, a number of shootings involving young family members were reported. During a Thanksgiving dinner in Minnesota on Thursday, a 13-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed a 5-year-old family member.

The police released a timeline of events that unfolded when officers arrived at the residence where the child died. The adolescent was "handling a gun" at the time of the event, Brooklyn Park police said in a statement to Newsweek on Saturday.

The incident is still under investigation, but the police have verified that the 13-year-old kid was detained and is being held at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center. According to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, about 1,300 children are killed by weapons in the United States each year.

Series of Thanksgiving shootings

Meanwhile, 40 individuals were shot in Chicago over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, three of them died. A guy was shot while walking in Cragin on the Northwest Side on Sunday morning, ABC7 Chicago reported.

Around 12:50 am, the 22-year-old male was out walking. According to Chicago police, he was shot in the leg near the 5500 block of West Belmont Avenue. He was rushed to Community First Hospital by friends and is in excellent condition, according to authorities. There was no one in detention.

On Saturday afternoon at Humboldt Park, a 16-year-old boy was shot while buying drugs. Around 6 pm, the teen entered a home to purchase drugs. When two individuals took out a pistol and shot him in the 3300 block of West Beach Avenue, Chicago police said.

According to authorities, he was injured in the leg and drove himself to Swedish Hospital in excellent condition. Detectives from Area Five are looking into the matter. Additionally, a 41-year-old man was shot on the Far South Side's West Pullman on Saturday.

He was strolling outdoors in the 11600 block of South Halsted Street when he was approached and shot at, according to Chicago police. He was hit in the left thigh and brought to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was stabilized.

Detectives from Area Two are looking into the matter. At a shooting Saturday night in Lithuanian Plaza on the South Side, two individuals were injured, one badly. Chicago police said a man and a woman were strolling in the 6900 block of South Campbell Avenue when they were both hit by a gunshot.

According to authorities, the 32-year-old lady was wounded in the foot while the 37-year-old guy was shot many times in the chest, arm, and leg. Police said the man was rushed to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition while the woman was brought to Holy Cross Hospital in good condition. There was no one in detention.

A person was shot and killed in Avalon Park on the South Side on Saturday night. Around 7:30 pm, the male, aged 18 to 35, was discovered under a bridge. Chicago police said it happened in the 8100 block of South Anthony Avenue. According to authorities, he was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head and was transferred to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was declared dead. His identity has remained unknown.