A pregnant woman and her unborn baby died after the mom was accidentally shot by her 2-year-old son on Friday, police said.
At roughly 1:11 p.m. that day, police responded to a 911 call at a residence in Norwalk, Ohio, according the Norwalk Police Department and local media reports. The woman, identified as 31-year-old Laura Ilg, told dispatchers that her toddler had accidentally gotten ahold of a gun and shot her in the back, according to Cleveland 19 News.
She was rushed to nearby Fisher-Titus Medical Center where she underwent an emergency C-section, but the 33-week unborn baby was unable to be saved, Police Chief Dave Smith told local media outlets on Tuesday. The baby boy would have been Ilg’s second child, he said, adding that she died about three hours later, at roughly 5 p.m. Friday.
Newsweek has reached out via email to the Norwalk Police Department for comment.
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Following the shooting, Ilg first called her husband, who was at work at the time, before calling police, Smith said.
When officers arrived at the home, he said, they had to break down the door to gain entry and found the mom and child in an upstairs bedroom. The police chief told local media that police seized a SIG Sauer micro 9 mm handgun from the scene.
Smith said that Ilg was “uncomfortable and in shock,” but calm enough to provide details of the shooting to police.
The police chief told 19 News that the house was “full of safety features,” with numerous protections in place, including baby gates.
However, he said, investigators learned that several baby gates and a bedroom door that were usually kept closed were accidentally left open on the day of the shooting. Police also believe the gun used in the incident was left in a bedroom nightstand, Smith said, adding that the toddler normally did not have access to the bedroom because the room was usually locked.
Ilg told police that she believed her son got into the room while she was doing laundry and that he started playing with the gun when it fired into her back, Smith told local media. Ilg said she did not think the toddler would be able to even grab the gun, let alone pull the trigger. The boy’s father and Ilg’s husband told police the firearm belongs to him, the police chief added.
The 2-year-old boy is currently in the custody of his father, Smith said.
The police chief told local media outlets that this incident is being considered an accidental shooting. Police are investigating the functionality of the gun and how a 2-year-old was able to pull the trigger.
Smith urged parents to ensure guns are stored in a locked space, kept unloaded and not stored in the same location as ammunition.