Boy accidentally shoots, kills father, police say

A 4-year-old boy fatally shot his father in the head in what appeared to be an accident, authorities said.

Brian Sparks, who was in his 30s, was pronounced dead in the family’s Vallejo home Saturday afternoon after the mother called 911, saying the boy had accidentally shot his father, said police Cpl. Steve Darden.

Police were unable to immediately confirm what had happened. The boy was taken into protective custody, and the mother was taken in for questioning.

Neighbors said the father was a former electrician who was disabled from a work-related injury, and the mother stayed home to take care of her family. Linda George, who lives two houses away, said that she knew the couple collected guns but that they had taught their son to never touch them. “They stressed that they were not something for him to play with,” George said.