A pregnant woman in Ohio was accidentally shot in the back by her two-year-old son, ultimately killing her and her unborn baby, law enforcement officials revealed.
Laura Ilg, 31, succumbed to injuries she sustained when her two-year-old son accidentally shot her in the back with a loaded handgun he found on a bedside table, Cleveland 19 reported. Though injured, Ilg was able to call law enforcement officials who transported her to a local hospital where she later died, the outlet stated.
She was taken to Fisher-Titus Medical Center where doctors performed an emergency C-section, but the 33-week unborn baby could not be saved, police said. https://t.co/cfcFUiJpaX pic.twitter.com/ciKGk964SY
— Cleveland 19 News (@cleveland19news) June 21, 2023
Police Chief David Smith stated that when responding officers arrived on the scene they found Ilg and her son in an upstairs bedroom of the home. Ilg, though in shock, was calm and revealed to officers that she had been doing laundry when her two-year-old son made his way into her bedroom, took a loaded handgun from off of the bedside table and pulled the trigger, the outlet stated. (RELATED: 3-Year-Old Florida Boy Dies After Shooting Himself With Gun Found In Nightstand)
Ilg was transported to Fisher-Titus Medical Center where doctors performed an emergency C-section in an attempt to save her 33-week unborn child. The baby, however, could not be saved and Ilg later succumbed to her own injuries, Cleveland 19 reported.
Ilg’s husband Alek expressed his grief at the loss of his wife and unborn child, another son, Monday, writing: “There are no words for the pain and loss I feel. [Laura] was, is, and will always be, the love of my life.”
Police are still investigating the incident, trying to determine how the 2-year-old toddler was able to pull the trigger on the gun, Smith revealed, according to Cleveland 19. Smith further reminded the public that guns should be kept in a secure space and left unloaded with ammunition stored in a separate location to prevent future tragedies, the outlet stated.