By Tom Tolen / news@whmi.com

According to a Detroit television station, the father of a Howell toddler who died when an unsecured gun discharged is employed by the Dearborn City Police Dept. Fox-2 Detroit reported Tuesday that the victim's father is a corporal in the suburban Detroit police agency.

The station also reports that, according to its sources, the gun that discharged was not the father's service revolver. Dearborn Police issued a terse statement in response to the report, saying, "This incident is a serious personal family matter, and we are respecting the privacy of the officer and his family during this difficult time."

The incident occurred Sunday evening at a home in the Rolling Oaks subdivision north of M-59 when the unsecured gun the toddler was holding accidentally went off. The 2-year-old child was rushed by Livingston County EMS to a local hospital, where the toddler was pronounced dead. Howell City Police are continuing their investigation into the case and have released no further details at this time.