Little boy shoots dead his two-year-old brother after mistaking gun for a toy

Elsewhere in same state on same day, a two-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself

Two children killed in accidental shootings in Virginia (REUTERS/Max Whittaker)

A four-year-old boy accidentally shot his brother dead after mistaking the gun for a toy, police have said.

Tyler "Ty" Aponte was found not breathing at his home in Louisa County, Virginia, on Tuesday with a gunshot wound to his chest.

First responders performed CPR and took the child to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Their mother was at home at the time of the shooting, WVIR-TV reports.

"It's horrible, it's devastating," Major Donald Lowe, from the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, said. "You come into a scene like this and you see all the carnage. You see everything."

An investigation is ongoing.

Elsewhere in the state on the same day, in Roanoke, a two-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself.

Police said an officer was flagged down by a car after 12pm.

A man and a woman in the car said their son had shot himself in their apartment, WSLS reports.

The officer called for medical support and the Roanoke Fire-EMS responded to the scene.

The child was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The death is being investigated.

No charges have been filed in either shooting.