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Toddler dies after shooting himself; father charged
Gainesville boy, 22 months, dies during surgery at Atlanta hospital
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A Gainesville toddler died Saturday after accidentally shooting himself with a gun he found. His father was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Hall County Sheriff’s Col. Jeff Strickland said the 22-month old boy was at his home in the 2600 block of Old Cornelia Highway about noon Saturday when he found a loaded small-caliber handgun on a nightstand in a bedroom.

The boy’s father, 33-year-old Raley A. Lane, was in the same room when the boy accidentally shot himself, Strickland said. Lane rushed the boy to Northeast Georgia Medical Center, where the child underwent emergency surgery for a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The boy later was flown to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where he died during surgery at 4:45 p.m., Strickland said.

Hall County investigators found several firearms in the house, Strickland said. After consulting with the Hall County District Attorney’s Office, sheriff’s officials arrested Lane on Saturday night and charged him with involuntary manslaughter, cruelty to children and reckless conduct.

Lane remained in the Hall County Jail on Saturday night.

The boy’s name was not immediately released.

It was the second time this week that a Hall County child has been involved in a home shooting.

On Wednesday night, a 10-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound to the upper torso when a handgun being handled by her 33-year-old uncle went off at a Wintergreen Court home in South Hall. The girl was taken to Egleston by ambulance and was last reported to be in good condition.

"The sheriff’s office highly recommends you check your residence for firearms and keep all guns out of the reach of children," Strickland said.