Woman In US Killed After 3-Year-Old Grabbed Unsecured Gun, Say Police

A three-year-old child in the United States accidentally shot and killed his mother, according to law enforcement officials. The incident took place in South Carolina on Wednesday, according to a Facebook post by the sheriff's office. It said that the toddle "gained access to an unsecured firearm", which resulted in the accident and death of the woman. The sheriff's office identified the woman as Cora Lyn Bush, who lived in Spartanburg. The 33-year-old died two hours after the accident at a local hospital.

The sheriff's office released the statement based on the grandmother's account, which "corroborated with both the evidence at the scene and the injury to the victim," according to a report in New York Post.

No further information has been released, though officials added that investigation is going on.

The media release said that the sheriff's office received a call from Spartanburg Regional Medical Centre at 10:35am in connection with the death caused by a shooting incident.

"Please keep the family of Ms Bush in your thoughts and prayers during this time of loss and grief," the release by the sheriff's office further said.

It added that a forensic autopsy is scheduled to take place.

After Ms Bush was transported to the hospital, the sheriff's office spoke to her mother and said her account of the incident corroborated with both the evidence at the scene and the injury to the victim.

"Although our investigation remains active, all indications are this incident was a result of the young child gaining access to an unsecured firearm, which resulted in the mother being accidentally shot and later passing away at the hospital," the sheriff's office said.

CBS-affiliate News19 said so far this year, there have been at least 194 unintentional shootings by children in the US, resulting in 82 deaths and 123 injuries.