Six-Year-Old Girl Accidentally Shoots Grandmother in the Back

Police are investigating a shooting involving a six-year-old girl and her grandmother. 

On Thursday, in North Port, Florida police received a 911 call, around 3 p.m. local time, from a woman saying that her granddaughter shot her.  

According to the police, the 57-year-old was taking her granddaughter home from school when the young girl got ahold of her gun that was located in backseat and accidentally pulled the trigger, per Fox 13 News. The bullet struck the front driver seat and shooting her grandmother in the lower back. Police also stated that the grandmother recently went to a gun range and left the firearm in the car.
 
The grandmother was able to drive home and call the police, naming her granddaughter as the shooter. EMS personnel airlifted the grandmother to Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The Child Protection Center also interviewed the young girl. The grandmother is not facing life-threatening injuries. 

According to the police, the gun was in a holster, in the back seat pocket driver’s seat, tucked away beneath a seat cover. 

“A matter of inches, pointing the gun a different direction, we could have had more serious injuries to the grandmother, the child could have been injured,” said North Port police. 

“[This is] an unfortunate example of the importance of gun safety. Please take appropriate measures to make sure children cannot access firearms. This could have been much worse, not only for the grandmother but for the child,” Police Chief Todd Garrison stated about the incident. 

The investigation is currently ongoing. Police continued their statement by saying that “the explanations corroborate an accidental discharge.”