DURHAM — A 4-year-old accidentally shot himself Friday morning in a home off Guess Road after finding an unsecured firearm, police said.

The boy was taken to Duke Hospital, where he was being treated Friday evening. His condition was not available.

Emergency Medical Services personnel were called shortly after 8:30 a.m. to the home on Brightfield Lane in the Ashfield Place subdivision, believing that the child had suffered a head injury when he fell off a counter. EMS called police when it became clear that the boy had suffered a gunshot wound.

"This tragic incident reinforces the need for gun safety and the proper securing of firearms," Police Chief Jose L. Lopez said.