ate of shock, and while he's trying to figure out how to pay for dinner on the credit card, the child obviously sees the gun, picks it up, is playing with it, and shoots himself in the face,  Sheriff Judd said.

 This is a horrible tragedy, and that's all the indication we see at this point and time,  he said.

 This is an absolute tragedy. There is going to be a family without a son tonight, without a nephew, without a cousin. There's going to be a mom and dad that are going to try and pick up the shambles of this horrific event, and in the end, the community itself is hurting. Any death is tragic. A kid who is about to turn 4 is almost unconscionable to me,  said Bartow Deputy Chief Kyle Dowdy.  We are grieving with the family. 

 My officers are having a tough time with this one. They're in the middle right now of a debrief; they're struggling,  he said.

Could the parents be charged?

What we don't know:

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and Bartow Deputy Chief Kyle Dowdy both said the situation appears to be a tragedy. Judd said there is a Florida Statute of culpable negligence that is a third-degree felony if a child gets a firearm and hurts himself or someone else. However, he said that decision would ultimately be up to the Florida State Attorney's Office to decide whether to file formal charges or not.

 Quite frankly, if the investigations concludes, according to what we see now, certainly we would not have any energy at all for suggestive criminal charges,  he said.