VOICE AIR MEDIA News Update
A two-year-old boy in the United States accidentally shot his pregnant mother on Friday, killing her as well as her unborn baby, said police.
According to the Norwalk Police Department as well as local media reports, police received a call at around 1:11 pm that day from a residence in Norwalk, Ohio.
The woman, who was later identified as 31-year-old Laura Ilg, informed the dispatchers that she was shot in her back accidentally by her toddler after he got hold of the gun, as reported by Cleveland 19 News.
Woman called police after being shot
The police officers immediately rushed the woman to nearby Fisher-Titus Medical Center where she had to go through an emergency C-section. However, the doctors failed to save the 33-week unborn baby, Police Chief Dave Smith informed the local media outlets on Tuesday.
He added that the baby boy, if alive, would have been the second child of Ilg, adding that she also succumbed to her injuries three hours later at around 5 pm on Friday.
After the gun was accidentally fired, Ilg first dialled her husband who was at work when the incident occurred, before calling the police, said Smith.
He said that when the police officers reached the house, they broke down the door to enter and discovered the mother and child in a bedroom located upstairs. The local media was informed by the police chief that a SIG Sauer micro 9 mm handgun was seized by the police officers from the scene.
Smith stated that Ilg was “uncomfortable and in shock,” however, she had maintained enough calm to provide details of the accident to the police.
Bedroom door, baby gates accidentally left open
Speaking to the 19 News, the police chief said that the house was “full of safety features,” and numerous protections were in place, which included baby gates.
However, he said the investigators later learned that various baby gates and a bedroom door, which are usually kept closed, were left open accidentally on the day when the shooting took place. Smith said that the family members had callously left the gun, which was used in the incident, on a bedroom nightstand and added that normally the toddler had no access to the bedroom because the room was kept locked.
The police were told by Ilg that she believed her son entered the room while she was busy doing laundry and he began playing with the gun during which it accidentally fired into her back, Smith said to the local media. Ilg said that she had no idea her child would be able to hold the gun, let alone pull the trigger. Ilg’s husband informed the police the gun belongs to him, the police chief stated. Currently, the 2-year-old boy is in the custody of his father, said Smith.
The police chief stated that the incident is being looked at as an accidental shooting. The gun’s functionality and how the trigger was pulled by a 2-year-old are being investigated by the police. (WION)
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