11-year-old shot to death by sister, 12, while rabbit hunting in Mississippi

An 11-year-old died after he was shot during a hunting accident in Mississippi, officials say.

It happened just after 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, in southern Jones County, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

Investigators said the boy was hunting rabbits with his 12-year-old sister when she accidentally shot him in the head with a .22-caliber rifle. The siblings’ stepbrother, 19, was with them at the time, deputies said.

Authorities haven’t released the children’s names.

The 11-year-old was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, deputies said. He later died, the Clarion Ledger reported.

The boy’s organs were donated and may save lives, that report stated.

Deputies didn’t release additional information but said the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is investigating.

Jones County is about 90 miles southeast of downtown Jackson.