Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said at 5:47 p.m. police responded to a residence at Wainwright Street near Bragaw Avenue for a shooting.
When officers arrived, they found a three-year-old boy who had been shot and two other children who were unharmed.
The child was taken to University Hospital and is in critical condition.
A firearm was recovered at the scene.
Police said the shooting appears to have been accidental and self-inflicted.
The incident remains under investigation.
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