Three-year-old fatally shoots himself with father's gun at Burger King

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 23 Oct, 20:02 · Archive

A three-year-old boy died after accidentally shooting himself in the face with his father's gun at a Burger King drive-thru in Polk County, Florida on Thursday.

A three-year-old boy died on Thursday after accidentally shooting himself in the face with his father's gun at a Burger King drive-thru in Polk County, Florida. Sheriff Grady Judd disclosed details during a news conference the same evening.

The child's father pulled through the drive-thru around 6:23 p.m. to pay for dinner with his credit card, but the transaction would not go through. According to Sheriff Judd, the father had moved to Florida from Connecticut about four months earlier. Both parents are managers at Lowe's. The father parked outside to try to resolve the credit card problem. While dealing with this issue, he removed a firearm from his waistband and laid it down because it was becoming uncomfortable. The father was apparently legally permitted to carry the weapon.

Sheriff Judd said the child likely saw the gun, picked it up to play with it, and ended up shooting himself in the face. The child was taken to hospital, where he later died. 'This is a horrible tragedy,' Judd said. Under Florida law, authorities cannot take legal action for at least seven days in cases where a child gains access to a firearm, and information must be sent to the State Attorney's Office. Such incidents can result in culpable negligence charges, a third-degree felony.

How it is being reported

• ‘Horrific tragedy’: 3-year-old fatally shoots self with dad’s gun at Florida Burger KingA 3-year-old child was killed in a shooting at a Burger King restaurant in Polk County on Thursday, according to the sheriff’s office.News4Jax · 23 Oct, 19:22
• WATCH LIVE: Sheriff Judd discusses shooting after child killed at Polk County Burger KingA child was killed after a shooting broke out at a Burger King restaurant in Polk County on Thursday, according to the sheriff’s office.Clickorlando · 23 Oct, 02:25

In this story: Polk County · Florida · Grady Judd · Connecticut · Burger King · Lowe's

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