In a tragic incident in Alabama, a woman has been charged after her young child discovered a loaded, unsecured handgun, leading to the fatal shooting of a 2-year-old boy. Authorities reported the unfortunate event that unfolded in Hayden, a small town approximately 30 miles northeast of Birmingham.

The accused, 40-year-old Evelyn Etress, is facing charges of manslaughter, aggravated child abuse, and drug offenses following the death of her son, Noah, on Wednesday. The incident occurred at their residence in Hayden.

Blount County Sheriff Mark Moon addressed the media during a press conference, revealing that deputies responded to a shooting call around 10 a.m. at a home on Orchard Circle. Upon arrival, they discovered Noah with a gunshot wound to the head. Despite being rushed to the hospital by paramedics, the boy was pronounced dead by doctors.

Investigations revealed that Etress was present in the home with her children at the time of the incident. The children were reportedly playing in the master bedroom while Etress was in another part of the house. She was alerted by a loud noise and rushed to the bedroom, where she found Noah with a gunshot wound and a .380 caliber handgun lying in a closet. Three children were in the closet at the time of the shooting.

Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey provided further details at a press conference, noting that six children were present in the home during the incident. Among them were two 4-year-old girls, an 8-year-old girl, a 9-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy, and Noah. Etress was the sole adult in the household at the time, according to Casey.

Casey declined to specify who accidentally pulled the trigger, but said the gunshot wound was “not self-inflicted.”

“Crime scene investigators determined that the projectile had gone through the 2-year-old’s skull, through the wall, hit the ceiling and then landed on the couch,” Casey said.

No other children were injured.

Cops allegedly found at least four firearms that were easily accessible by the children.

Casey said it’s imperative that parents keep firearms secure and away from children.

“They’re children,” she said. “A firearm is not a toy, and it’s not a teaching moment for a toddler, and in this case, as we see, that teaching moment came too late.”

Young kids often don’t know the difference between a toy gun and a real firearm, the prosecutor said.

“When a gun’s left out, a child doesn’t see danger, they see something familiar,” said Casey. “If you think about it, our children play with water guns and with Nerf guns and things of that nature, and these young children just don’t know and as a result a misunderstanding can turn into tragedy in seconds.”

Etress has since posted a $90,000 bond.