The incident took place on Friday, June 16, in Ohio. (Representative pic)
A pregnant woman in the United States died after she was accidentally shot by her 2-year-old son, police said on Tuesday. The incident took place on Friday, June 16, in Ohio. The boy fatally shot the 31-year-old mother and the unborn child after he got a hold of his father's handgun from a drawer, CNN reported.
Citing a press release from the Norwalk Police Department, the outlet said that the woman, identified as Laura Ilg, frantically called the cops after getting "shot in the back by her 2-year-old son". In her call, she informed the dispatchers she was eight months pregnant. Her husband also called 911 and stated "he received a phone call from his wife 'screaming something about my son and needing to call 911'".
Responding officers arrived at the house and forced entry through a locked door. According to CNN, they found Ms Laura still conscious with her 2-year-old in the main upstairs bedroom, next to a handgun. The cops removed the son from the room at the request of his mother, following which she gave a "complete account of the events that occurred," authorities said.
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The mother was transported to a medical centre where an emergency C-section was performed. However, both the unborn child and the woman were pronounced dead soon after they were brought in for treatment.
The weapon was seized from the home, police said, adding that the pistol's magazine was loaded with an additional 12 rounds. Following an investigation, they stated that adequate safety features were found inside the woman's house during a search, including baby gates. However, the boy went inside his parents' bedroom and started playing with the gun, while his mother was busy with household chores.
According to the outlet, the investigation is still ongoing. No charges have been filed at this time, but the case has been forwarded to the Huron County Prosecutor's Office, which will consider whether criminal charges should be filed.