A 2-year-old boy who found a handgun inside his mother’s purse and accidentally shot himself in the abdomen is expected to survive, a DeKalb County police spokesman said Monday afternoon.
Officers responded about 2:30 a.m. to a call about a child shot at a Knights Inn on Panola Road in Lithonia, DeKalb police Maj. Stephen Fore said.
“The mother heard a gunshot and found her 2-year-old [son] had been shot in the abdomen,” he said.
The family is from North Carolina and arrived at the DeKalb hotel Sunday evening, police said.
The toddler was rushed to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston in critical condition and immediately taken into surgery, Fore said.
Investigators interviewed the child’s mother and another woman in the room with the wounded toddler. The gun used in the shooting was recovered at the scene, Fore said.
Charges have not been filed in the accidental shooting.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Fore said. “It may be a day or two before detectives gather enough facts to determine if any charges will be filed.”
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