By Cameron Thompson | CNN

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WTVR) — A 2-year-old boy shot and killed a man in a Chesterfield County, Virginia, home Monday morning, sources told Crime Insider Jon Burkett. Chesterfield police later confirmed some details to CBS 6 News.

“It appears that the following events occurred: The victim was about to leave the home and had placed his handgun on a nearby chair when a nearly three-year-old child took the weapon,” a Chesterfield police spokesperson wrote in an email. “The child accidentally fired the weapon and shot the victim. The child was not injured and no one else in the home was injured. The investigation is ongoing.”

The adult victim, who police said was the boyfriend of the child’s mother, was flown to hospital where his condition was last described as critical.

The shooting was reported around 9:45 a.m. on Butler Lane in Ettrick Township.

Lisa Wood, who lives on the same street, said she saw the child shortly after the shooting.

“After I came into the house, he was sitting there like a normal child. He’s not worried or anything. He’s still smiling,” she said.

Everyone in the neighborhood who spoke to CBS 6 expressed hope for the victim’s full recovery and called the incident a reminder of the importance of gun safety.

“If you’re not responsible with your stuff, bad things happen. And it’s really, really, really upsetting that it had to be a child. And, you know, hopefully this adult will make it, because, like – that’s upsetting,” said neighbor Lisa Wood. “Today was just a day that, you know, was not good.”

Wood said in the meantime, she has focused on supporting the family.

“I just want to show them my love. Because right now it’s hard to just say, ‘It’s going to be OK,’ because I’m not in that predicament. And I really, really, truly don’t know how she feels. But all I can do is give her my love,” she said.