A woman has been killed when her toddler son pulled a handgun from her purse and fired it accidentally at a Walmart store in northern Idaho.
A statement from Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said preliminary investigations showed the 29-year-old woman was shopping with her two-year-old son and other family members when the shooting took place.
Police said the child was sitting in the trolley when the accident happened. Image via Google Street View.
“Her son was seated in the shopping cart and accessed the victim’s concealed weapon from her purse and discharged it, striking the victim,” the statement said.
Lieutenant Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter that the shooting appeared to be accidental.
Hayden is located in Kootenai County, north of Coeur d’Alene.
Local KREM-TV reported that the woman had been shopping with four children when the shooting occured.
The woman’s identity was withheld by authorities pending notification of next of kin.
Walmart spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said: “A very sad incident occurred at our store today in Hayden involving the death of a female customer.”
“We are working with the Kootenai Sheriff’s department as they investigate what happened.”
Ms Buchanan said the store had been closed and would remain so until further notice.
This article originally appeared on the ABC website and has been republished with permission.
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Top Comments
"This is such an unbelievable tragic accident. It always strikes me that
we hear so many stories of innocent people dying by civilian gunfire be
it rampages or accidents form the US. I never seem to hear any stories
where civilian gun ownership has successfully defended innocent lives,
or averted crimes, or any of those reasons why Americans are hell-bent
on maintaining their rights to bear arms."
It's because the media doesn't like to report such things because it's not as hot of a topic. The media in the US breeds hate, racism and violence. Think what you want, but until you've spent a substantial amount of time in the states and see how things really are and watch the news, you won't get it. Nothing against you because you are not aware of how things are stateside. I can personally tell you of several people I know that have successfully defended themselves and others from being victims of crimes. People that have issues with the US and their lack of gun control that don't live here or have never resided here, don't have any basis to have an issue.
I most certainly agree that grownups should be more responsible with their firearms. I have a 2 year old and couldn't imagine him being able to figure out how to turn of the safety and cock a handgun. This proves negligence on the mother's behalf. I don't believe in bashing the deceased, but I don't believe in romanticizing the dead either. She should have been more responsible. This poor child will certainly be scarred for the rest of his life, along with his siblings that witnessed it. It's sad, very sad. Don't be so quick to judge a whole nation due to some of the idiots running around in it though or because their media chooses not to report the positive things.
That poor child will have to live with this for the rest of their life