Florida Boy, 3, Shoots Own Mother Just Minutes After Dad Leaves Loaded Gun in Car
Fort Lauderdale Police investigate a car in the parking lot of a shopping plaza where a mother was shot by her young child on Thursday. (NBC)
(IBEXNews) - A mother of 2 was shot by her own son Thursday after the 3-year-old boy grabbed a loaded gun that his father had left under the passenger seat while their car was parked in a Florida shopping plaza, authorities said.
The woman was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover, an outcome that could’ve been much worse, as the boy’s 1-year-old sister was also in the car, police told the Sun-Sentinel.
The shooting happened shortly before 2 p.m. in a downtown parking lot in Fort Lauderdale moments after the victim’s husband stepped out of the car to go to a nearby business, according to the paper.
While the woman and her children waited in the car, the boy got a hold of the loaded weapon and accidentally fired at least one shot at his mother, authorities said. It was not immediately clear where in her body she was struck or how many shots were fired.
The father reportedly has a license to own and carry his firearm.
Police are still investigating the incident to determine if any charges will be filed.
The shooting is one of several similar incidents to make headlines around the country in recent months. In November, police in Texas said a 3-year-old boy died inside his Houston home after he “gained access” to a loaded pistol and turned it on himself. In October, a 2-year-old boy in Indiana found his mother’s unsecured firearm and fatally shot himself.
