Fond du Lac County investigators say a parent had gone back inside for a forgotten item when the gun discharged in a driveway vehicle.
LAMARTINE, Wis. — A 2-year-old boy died after he was shot Friday morning inside a vehicle parked in his family’s driveway in Fond du Lac County, where investigators say his 4-year-old sibling found a loaded gun while a parent briefly went back into the house.
Authorities say the shooting happened in a matter of moments, but the case now sits at the center of a wider investigation into how the firearm was left within reach of three young children and whether anyone will face charges. The sheriff’s office says it does not suspect foul play, and the family is cooperating. Still, the death has drawn intense attention in eastern Wisconsin because it involved a child, a loaded weapon in a family vehicle and a set of unanswered questions that investigators have not yet resolved in public.
The first call for help came at 10:26 a.m. Friday, April 10, when someone who was out walking reported that a young child had suffered a gunshot injury at a nearby home, according to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies, North Fond du Lac Ambulance and Lamartine First Responders went to the residence within minutes. Because of the severity of the wound, responders also called for the ThedaStar medical helicopter. Investigators say three young children had been placed in a vehicle parked in the driveway. While a parent went back inside to retrieve a forgotten item, a 4-year-old child found a loaded firearm in the center console. The gun discharged and struck a 2-year-old sibling. Responders tried lifesaving measures at the scene, but the child was pronounced dead before he could be flown to a hospital. The sheriff’s office later said the shooting was isolated to the driveway and that “foul play is not suspected.”
As the day unfolded, local outlets filled in more of the scene that officials had first described only in broad terms. Reports identified the home as being on Schraven Circle in the Town of Lamartine, a rural area east of Fond du Lac. Authorities said no one else was hurt. A sheriff’s deputy and a first responder were the first to begin emergency care, and a chaplain and crisis social worker were called in afterward to help the family. The sheriff’s office has not publicly said who owned the gun, how long it had been in the vehicle, whether it was holstered or otherwise secured, or whether any adult besides the parent who went back inside was nearby when the shot was fired. Officials also have not described where the other child in the vehicle was sitting when the gun discharged. Those missing details matter because they will shape any decision about criminal responsibility, yet investigators have released only a brief preliminary account and have asked the public to respect the family’s privacy.
By the weekend, family and community records began to put a name and face to the child who died, even as investigators declined to confirm his identity publicly. A GoFundMe page organized for Rachel Zahradnik identified the boy as Crewe Zahradnik and said donations would help cover funeral expenses, grief counseling and lost wages after what organizers called a “heartbreaking accident.” A funeral home obituary later listed him as Crewe Lorinze Zahradnik, 22 months old, of Fond du Lac. It described him as a cheerful toddler who loved snacks, rodeos and following his older brothers. Those public postings gave the tragedy a deeply personal dimension, but they also underscored the gap between what grieving relatives have chosen to share and what law enforcement has been willing to confirm while the case remains open. The sheriff’s office has said it is aware of the online fundraiser but cannot verify the boy’s name because of victim privacy laws. That split has left official records sparse even as public mourning has grown more visible.
The legal path from here is still uncertain. The sheriff’s office says it is working with the county medical examiner as the investigation continues, and officials have stressed that any criminal charges will be determined later, after detectives finish reviewing the evidence. That means investigators still must account for the firearm’s ownership, whether it was left loaded, whether it was lawfully stored and whether the circumstances meet the threshold for charges tied to child neglect, unsafe firearm access or another offense under Wisconsin law. As of Wednesday, authorities had not announced an arrest, a referral to prosecutors or a date for any charging decision. They also had not said whether investigators had interviewed all adults who were at the home or whether they had recovered additional evidence from inside the vehicle beyond the gun itself. The sheriff’s office has released no second statement giving a target date for updates. For now, the most concrete next steps are administrative and investigative: a completed death review, continued evidence processing and a prosecutor’s decision if detectives recommend charges.
Outside the official record, the public response has turned quickly toward grief. The sheriff’s office said it extends its “deepest condolences” to the family and friends of the victim. The online fundraiser opened with the words, “Our hearts are broken,” and described a family whose world changed “in a matter of moments.” The funeral home scheduled visitation for Thursday, April 16, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. service in Fond du Lac. That timetable gives the community a fixed point in a story otherwise defined by abrupt loss and limited public facts. It also highlights the contrast that has marked this case from the start: a chaotic emergency in a driveway, followed by a careful and narrow public response from authorities. Investigators have said enough to outline the sequence of events but not enough to answer the questions that naturally follow any child’s death involving a gun. Until they do, the case will stand as both a family tragedy and an open investigation, with the family’s mourning now moving ahead on a public calendar while the legal review stays largely behind closed doors.
The case remained under investigation Wednesday, with no charges announced and no new public briefing scheduled. The next visible milestone is Thursday’s visitation and funeral in Fond du Lac, while detectives and the medical examiner continue reviewing the shooting that began with a 10:26 a.m. emergency call on April 10.
Author note: Last updated April 15, 2026.