A tragic story out of Hayden, Idaho, has come about as a two-year-old toddler accidentally shot and killed his mother while shopping in a Walmart. Police have stated that the young boy reached into her purse and got a hold of her concealed gun when it fired and struck her dead inside the store.
According to the Guardian , there is a bit of confusion as to whether or not the woman was the mother of the child or not.
KXLY reports that the woman was shopping in the Walmart on Tuesday morning when the shooting happened around 10:20 a.m. Lt. Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said that the woman was shopping with several children at the time of the shooting.
KCSO on scene of a shooting at Hayden Walmart. Store has been closed. 1 female victim. Gathering details. More to follow.
— Lt. Stu Miller (@KCSO_LtMiller) December 30, 2014
The woman and the children were in the back of the store shopping near the electronics department when it happened. Miller states that the toddler reached into his mother’s purse and grabbed hold of her concealed gun. The gun went off and the bullet struck the mother, killing her inside the Walmart store. As of Tuesday afternoon, the woman’s identity had not yet been released pending notification of her family. Once the shooting happened, the Walmart store was fully evacuated and it was closed down. Employees were leaving the store and some reporters asked them what had happened, but they were advised not to talk about the situation.
BREAKING: Toddler accidentally shoots and kills mom at #walmart in Hayden, Idaho today. From @AP – 2 year old pulled gun from mom’s purse.
— Brian Wood (@BrianWoodKATU) December 30, 2014
According to AOL, the woman did have a concealed carry permit for the gun, but it has not yet been revealed as to what type of weapon it was.
Police are still investigating as to anything else that may have led to the toddler shooting his mother in the Idaho Walmart. The identity of the child or the other children with the woman have not been revealed by police, either.
One thing the police have revealed is that the female victim’s family was visiting from out of town, and they had made it to the Walmart store by the afternoon.
Due to the shooting death of the woman, the manager of the Idaho Walmart has confirmed that the store will be closed through Wednesday morning and reopening at 6 a.m.
[Image via KXLY ]
