A FIVE-YEAR-old boy accidentally shot and killed his nine-month-old baby brother after finding a gun in the house, US media reports say.

The mother of the children contacted 911 about the incident, CNN reports.

The incident occurred in Elmo, Missouri, yesterday morning.

Local TV station KCTV said that the town is shocked at the news, with the local sheriff saying that the shooting was accidental.

Sheriff Darren White, said that the boys’ mother told police that the baby was shot with a paintball gun, but it transpired the gun was a .22 caliber magnum revolver.

White said they believe the older boy found the gun in the house and shot his brother, who was in a playpen.

Police are investigating the circumstances of the incident, including who owns the gun. It is not believed the mother was the gun’s owner.

The situation is bound to bring up more discussion about gun control in the United States, particularly in relation to child safety.

In December, a woman was fatally shot by her two-year-old after he found her gun in her purse. She held a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and her son found the gun while they were in a Walmart parking lot.

Read: Family grapple with how to tell 2-year-old that he shot and killed his mother at Walmart>

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