5-year-old La. girl fatally shoots self with father's gun

LAPLACE, Louisiana -- A 5-year-old girl from Laplace, Louisiana, is dead after she accidentally shot herself with her father's gun, CBS affiliate WWL in New Orleans reports.

Five-year-old Haley Moore shot herself while her father was apparently in the shower, authorities say. The little girl got a hold of the unsecured gun, which had allegedly been left on a table.

"The first thing that goes through your mind is that it's a child and you want to do everything you can to help that child get through this ordeal," said Lt. Greg Baker with the St. John the Baptist Sheriff's Office.

Neighbor Joy Ursin told WWL she found it unusual that the gun was left unattended. She said the father was a military veteran.

"He would tell them about the (gun) dangers and he had this thing about safety," she said. "He did not want them to be ignorant of the fact that they can harm you."

Ursin said Haley Moore was a spunky child, and full of life.

"She loved to have fun." Ursin said.

A sibling told Ursin that the family was planning to see a movie Saturday before the fatal shooting.

Haley Moore died after being rushed to the hospital.

"That's a tragedy, there's no other way to put anything like that," said neighbor John Tracy.