RALEIGH — Police are urging young people and their parents to be careful with firearms after a pellet gun accidentally went off this week, killing an 8-year-old boy.

Police are particularly concerned about guns on which the safety mechanism is located next to the trigger. Ty-Rion Jayele Henry’s grandfather was attempting to put the safety on a pellet gun when he accidentally hit the trigger, shooting Ty-Rion in the eye Monday.

He was pronounced dead Tuesday after he showed no sign of brain activity, according to his mother, Brianne Henry.

At a press conference today, Raleigh police detective Lt. Andy Murr displayed a photo of the gun, showing that the safety switch was was less than a quarter inch from the trigger. Murr noted that design was not unique to one firearms manufacturer.

"We want to make the public aware and remind them to be careful because the trigger is in such close proximity to the safety switch," he said.

Murr added that the public, and especially young people, should be careful around any firearm, including BB guns, pellet guns and Airsoft guns.

Ty-Rion was a second-grader at Lynn Road Elementary School. He loved cars, video games and drawing, his mother said Wednesday.

The shooting occurred Monday just before 5:30 p.m. inside the child's home on Havenwood Court in North Raleigh, police reported.

Brianne Henry, 31, said Ty-Rion's grandfather had been hunting squirrels with a pellet gun and, when he came into the house, put the gun down on the stairs. Ty-Rion was coming down the stairs, and as his grandfather reached for the weapon to put the safety switch in place he accidentally hit the trigger instead, Henry said.

Raleigh police detectives investigated and concluded the shooting was an accident. The detectives presented their findings to the Wake County District Attorney's Office and decided no charges would be filed, police said Wednesday.

Funeral arrangements for Ty-Rion are incomplete.

thomasi.mcdonald@newsobserver.com or 919-829-4533