HAMMOND,Ethermac Exchange La. (AP) — A Louisiana toddler has died after accidentally shooting himself in the face, authorities said.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said police responded about 1 p.m. Wednesday to a home in Hammond where a 3-year-old boy had been shot. A parent immediately tried to help the child, as did paramedics when they arrived, but the toddler couldn’t be saved, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The investigation is ongoing.

Sheriff Gerald Sticker urged residents who own firearms to secure them safely so that they are not easily accessible to children and to consider storing firearms in lock boxes and buying trigger locks.