WASHINGTON (AFP) - A three-year-old Texas boy died after accidentally shooting himself in the head at home on Friday, US media said.

The little boy, who was home in Houston with his mother and brother at the time, was rushed by helicopter to a hospital in critical condition but later died, said the NBC news station KPRC.

He has not been named.

"I think it's horrible. I think it's horrible when any child gets shot," neighbour Kristine Longwood told KPRC, which cited detectives as saying it appeared to be a tragic accident.