A tragic event unfolded in Memphis as a 7-year-old girl accidentally shot herself with a gun she found at home. WREG reports that the child sustained a critical gunshot wound to the thigh after the firearm, which was supposed to be secured underneath the mattress, was discharged. The incident occurred at the Avery Park Apartments, situated on the 2500 block of Elmscourt Drive.
According to the mother's account to the responding officers, watching TV in the bedroom alongside her children, the shooting took place unexpectedly right before 3 p.m. "She didn’t know how her daughter gained access to the firearm," the child's mother told WREG. The Memphis Police Department (MPD) recovered the weapon and noted that the gun's slide was found locked in the rear position.
The victim was immediately rushed to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital where she remains in critical condition. Further complicating the grief-stricken scene, the girl's father was taken into custody upon his arrival at Le Bonheur to check on his daughter. He confirmed to police officers that the handgun, a black Taurus 9mm, was his. The MPD has stated that the investigation into the accidental shooting is ongoing, according to Local Memphis.
While no charges against the father were immediately announced, encountered at the hospital by police, the daughter's well-being remained the focus. FOX13 Memphis reports that the MPD has arranged for a DCS worker to release the girl's siblings to the custody of their grandmother in the aftermath.
