Toddler Shoots Mother In Her Sleep: Florida 3-Year-Old Finds Gun, Shoots Mom Accidentally

A Florida toddler shoots his mother in her sleep after finding a gun inside the home. The incident happened Monday morning in Davie, Florida, according to Davie police. Authorities are investigating how the 3-year-old got possession of he firearm, Capt. Dale Engle tells Sun-Sentinel.

Officers were called to a home on the block of Southwest 59th Terrace; the boy’s mother was able to contact authorities after she was shot in the leg by a small-caliber, semi-automatic handgun.

Engle says the child’s mother suffered no life-threatening injuries.

“A 3-year-old boy gained access to his parents’ firearm. The child discharged one round and struck the mother in the leg. She received an injury that was not life-threatening.”

The unidentified woman was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood where she had surgery, and currently remains there.

No charges have been filed yet, Engle reveals. Investigators from Broward Sheriff and the Florida Department of Children & Families were at the family’s home to learn more about the toddler shooting his mother in her sleep.

According to NBC Miami, Capt. Engle shares that it’s been determined the gun wasn’t in a secure location when the 3-year-old found it.

“From what I am gathering the weapon is not usually stored where the weapon was. It was in a position or a place where the child could gain access to it easily.”

The boy will still reside in the same home, but with other relatives during the investigation. Other generations of family members live under the same roof. Engle says eventually charges may be filed against the parents once they figure out who actually owns the firearm.

Engle adds that it’s a “myth” young children aren’t strong enough to pull the trigger on a gun.

“If you can squeeze your hand then you can discharge a weapon, and there is an obvious fascination with weapons with all kids,” Engle says.

A trend of young children getting a hold of guns and accidentally shooting their parents is often in the headlines. Over the weekend an Albuquerque toddler shot his mother and father. The boy was also 3-years-old and believed the 9mm pistol was an iPod he pulled out of his mother’s purse. Luckily, both parents survived. As The Inquisitr reports on this story, the mom is eight months pregnant, but no harm was done to the baby. Those parents are being investigated for not properly locking up the gun.

If a toddler shoots a mother or father, it automatically brings scrutiny against the parents if it happened in their home or with their own firearm.

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