Girl, 5, Fatally Shoots Sister, 3, After Dad Reportedly Leaves Loaded Gun on Kitchen Counter in Rio

A three-year-old girl died after her five-year-old sister reportedly fired their father's pistol at the family home in western Rio de Janeiro, as investigators examine how the weapon became accessible.

Police believe the shooting in Guaratiba on Sunday, 8 November, was accidental. They are examining the father's account that he left the loaded pistol on a kitchen counter before returning to bed.

The father, a registered firearms collector, sport shooter and hunter, has been questioned alongside the children's mother.

Investigators are assessing whether the firearm was stored in accordance with Brazilian law and how it became accessible to the girls.

Police Examine How the Pistol Became Accessible

The incident followed a street party near the family's house. The mother reportedly said the event ended at about 6am, leaving the family exhausted and asleep later than usual.

According to his statement to police, the father went downstairs with a 9mm pistol after his wife noticed that the garage gate was open and feared somebody might have entered.

He said he checked the property, found no intruder and returned inside. Before going back to sleep, he reportedly placed the pistol, still inside its holster, on the kitchen counter.

The couple later woke to a gunshot. The father told investigators he rushed into the living room and found Olivia wounded on the floor. He also claimed his older daughter approached him and said, 'Sorry, Daddy, sorry, Daddy.'

Those words are attributed to his testimony, not an independently verified recording. Police have yet to release a complete reconstruction of the moments leading to the shooting.

Olivia was taken by her parents to Hospital Municipal Rocha Faria in Campo Grande. Hospital officials said she arrived in cardiac arrest. Despite attempts to resuscitate her, she died.

Preliminary accounts suggest the older girl had picked up the pistol while playing. Investigators have not established that she intended to hurt her sister.

Father Investigated Over Possible Negligence

Rio de Janeiro's Civil Police assigned the case to the Capital Homicide Division, which interviewed the parents, examined the property and seized the pistol for forensic testing.

Police said the father would remain free while being investigated over possible negligent homicide, known in Brazil as homicídio culposo, and omissão de cautela, an offence involving failure to prevent a minor from accessing a firearm.

He was not arrested after voluntarily appearing before investigators. No conviction or formal prosecution has been reported.

A gunshot-residue examination found no traces of gunpowder on him, according to CNN Brasil. That result does not resolve whether the weapon was stored safely, which remains a separate question for investigators.

The father has a registration known as CAC, covering firearms collectors, sport shooters and hunters. Brazilian regulations require firearms in these collections to be unloaded and kept in secure, locked storage. Article 13 of the country's Disarmament Statute also requires owners to prevent children from obtaining their weapons.

His registration does not establish whether those precautions were followed on the night Olivia died. Investigators were expected to question him again on Wednesday, 11 November, as they worked to establish responsibility.

A lawyer for the family said relatives did not wish to comment during the tragedy. The investigation remains ongoing.