A woman is recovering after police said her 2-year-old grandson found a loaded gun and fired it at her.
The 2-year-old boy was riding in the back seat of his great-aunt’s car Sunday afternoon in Rock Hill, when he managed to grab her loaded .357 revolver out of the pouch behind the seat and pull the trigger. The shot went through the front passenger seat and hit his 40-year-old grandmother in the back.
“The gun should have never been that accessible,” said Rock Hill police Capt. Mark Bollinger.
The accidental shooting has shocked people in the community.
“That would be devastating to a child, because they don’t really understand the impact of what this gun can do," Wanda McCaskill said.
The driver only had to travel two blocks before reaching a house on Stanley Drive, where relatives live. They called 911 and first responders took the grandmother to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Family members told Channel 9 she has been released.
Bollinger told Channel 9 that investigators are still trying to figure out why the gun was stored where it was and whether the little boy was in a car seat. Police said the grandmother’s sister, who owns the car and gun, could face charges.
"It is possible, for having the gun in the wrong location and easily accessible to a child," Bollinger said. "There could even be some child safety laws in violation. Our detectives will be working with the solicitor's office to determine what, if any, charges will come of this."
South Carolina law states guns in vehicles must be “secured in a closed glove compartment, closed console, closed trunk, or in a closed container secured by an integral fastener and transported in the luggage compartment of the vehicle.”
Rock Hill police are not releasing the grandmother’s name, because no charges have been filed at this time and they don’t want to identify the child.
Police said that revolver did not have a safety. They recommend all gun owners have a safety lock, which you can get at the police department for free.
About the Author
