KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A 1-year-old boy was shot and killed Tuesday in a midtown Kansas City apartment, and police said the boy's 6-year-old cousin told them he had fired the fatal shot with a gun he had found in a bag.

The bag also contained video game controls. Police were trying yesterday to determine who took the gun into the Kansas City house.

Police said Darian D. Hinds was shot about 2: 35 p.m. in a three-story house converted into apartments. The older boy's name was not released because of his age. It was his birthday Tuesday.

"He's just traumatized," said Donald Richards, a family member. "I don't know if he knows what is going on.

"I'm sure he just saw the gun in the bag and was curious about it. He didn't know. It was just an accident."

The gun apparently had been in a bag that was on the floor in front of a television set, said Detective Jeff Cowdrey.

Police said the boy told them he grabbed the handgun, pointed it at a wall and pulled the trigger. A bullet struck the 1-year-old, who was climbing onto a chair, in the torso.

No one who lived at the home claimed the handgun or knew how it got into the house, said Detective Kevin Kilkenny.

The mother told police the gun was not in the bag earlier in the day, so police were investigating whether someone stopped by the house Tuesday and put it there.

Hours after the shooting, family members gathered at the home. An argument broke out among family members and police were asked to intervene.

Officers said later the argument was over who was at fault.

The family had lived in the home about four months, said Richards, a brother-in-law of the woman who lives there.

Pub Date: 8/13/98