A 2-year-old boy was shot in the head on Christmas morning in Walker County. 

Authorities say the child survived emergency surgery and remains in critical condition. Investigators are working to determine exactly how the shooting happened.

According to Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson, deputies were called to a home on Tarvin Road in Rock Spring around 9:50 a.m. on Christmas Day after a report of a child with a gunshot wound. Deputies and EMS took the toddler to T.C. Thompson Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he underwent surgery.

In an update released by the sheriff's office, investigators said the child's father returned home late Christmas Eve and placed his 9 mm handgun on a nightstand beside the bed. Christmas morning, after the children were out of bed, the father was in another room dressing an infant when he heard a loud "pop" from the bedroom.

When the father went into the room, he found the 2-year-old crying and bleeding from a wound to the head, authorities said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting the Walker County Sheriff's Office with the case. The GBI confirmed the child remains hospitalized and is expected to survive. The investigation is active and ongoing.

The infant child who was also in the home has since been placed with relatives. No charges have been filed, and authorities said no names will be released at this time.

The Walker County Department of Family and Children's Services is assisting as part of the investigation.

In a statement, Sheriff Wilson said, "We all grieve when a child is injured or dies; however, for this tragedy to happen on Christmas morning the emotions are magnified."