FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ A 3-year-old boy accidentally shot his mom in the parking lot of a shopping plaza in downtown Fort Lauderdale on Thursday afternoon, police said. And the boy did it with his dad's handgun.
The shooting happened at 1:45 p.m. EST on West Broward Boulevard, police spokeswoman Casey Liening said.
Police said the boy and his 1-year-old sister were in the car with his mother while his father was inside a nearby business. The father had placed his lawfully owned and carried handgun under the seat before getting out of the car, according to Liening.
The boy got out of his car seat and grabbed the gun, which accidentally discharged, striking the mom, Liening said.
The injured mother was taken to a hospital as a "trauma alert." She is stable and expected to recover, police said.
It's too early to say whether anyone will be charged, police said.
