Arizona boy dies after being shot by ‘high powered air rifle,’ sheriff says

ST. DAVID, Ariz. - A death investigation is underway in southern Arizona after an 8-year-old boy was shot in the chest with a rifle.

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office says the shooting happened just after 5 p.m. on Dec. 18 just south of Highway 80 in St. David.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they found the boy "who had been shot in the center of his chest cavity with a high powered air rifle that shoots 22 caliber pellets."

"Emergency medical procedures were performed on the scene before the child was taken to awaiting Emergency Medical personnel at the intersection of Highway 80 and East Apache Powder Road," the sheriff's office said.

Deputies say the highway was impacted as they worked to secure a landing zone for a helicopter, so instead, the boy was rushed to a hospital in Benson where he was later pronounced dead.

The boy was not identified.

The sheriff's office has not said what led up to the shooting. The investigation remains ongoing.

No further details were released.