Cops: 2-Year-Old Boy Shoots Both Parents

A Maine toddler who wandered into his parents' room Wednesday morning ended up accidentally shooting them and injuring himself, cops say, but luckily, all three are expected to recover. The 2-year-old boy apparently spotted a gun, which was loaded, on one of the nightstands in the family's home in West Bath, picked it up, and fired it once, Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry tells WGME. That one shot did some real damage, though: The little boy's mother was hit in the leg, the dad was shot in the back of the head, and the 2-year-old himself was hurt in the face when the gun recoiled, Merry says, per WMTW.

The three were rushed to a local hospital, where they were found to have non-life-threatening injuries. The couple has another child, a 3-week-old who was also in the room but not hurt, and the baby is now being cared for by the grandmother, who lives with the family. "How the boy was able to pick up and fire the weapon is of great concern and is being investigated," Merry says. "This situation, while disturbing, could have had an even more tragic ending." The incident has put new focus on the Maine Gun Safety Coalition's push to pass a state law that would criminalize leaving a loaded weapon out that a child subsequently uses, per WGME. An "absolute crisis," is how the group's director described Wednesday's shooting. (More shooting stories.)