A 3-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his mother Saturday in a supermarket parking lot near Chicago in Dolton, Illinois.
Police say the boy allegedly found a gun in the family’s car and fired it, reported ABC 7. The bullet struck his mother, 22-year-old Dejah Bennet, in the neck.
A trip to the supermarket in Dolton turned fatal this weekend when a 3-year-old boy found a gun in the back seat of a vehicle, picked it up and accidentally shot his mother in the neck. https://t.co/w0ViUPFLwr
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) March 14, 2022
Bennet was taken to a nearby hospital where she was later pronounced dead, the Chicago Tribune reported.
“This could have been prevented,” Dolton trustee Andrew Holmes said, according to ABC 7.
“All it takes is a second: unlock it, thread it through the barrel, bring it back around, put it in and lock it back,” Holmes added, according to ABC 7. “If you leave it, secure it.”
Police took the boy’s father into custody Saturday at the scene, reported ABC 7. Police have not yet charged the father for the incident. (RELATED: 3-Year-Old Accidentally Shoots 2-Year-Old Sister After Gun Owner Shoved Firearm In Couch Cushions To Keep It Away From Kids)
“Guns kill, especially when it gets in the hands of children and it’s not the child’s fault,” Holmes said, reported the Chicago Tribune. “It’s the adult’s fault because they have a responsibility to keep these guns locked down and away from these kids.”