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Child dead in accidental shooting outside Bartow Burger King | FULL
A 3-year-old child was killed Thursday night after he grabbed a gun and accidentally shot himself in the face, while his dad was attempting to pay for a meal at a Burger King restaurant in Bartow, Florida, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. The boy was set to turn four in four days, he said.
A 3-year-old boy died Thursday evening after he grabbed his dad’s gun and shot himself in the drive-thru of a Florida fast food restaurant.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, it happened at a Burger King in Bartow, about 45 minutes east of Tampa. The child was turning 4 in four days.
‘Pray for this family’
What we know:
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said it happened in the drive-thru when the child’s father was trying to pay for dinner. His credit card had been declined and he was distracted trying to find another form of payment. As he bent over to check his card, he removed a Glock handgun from his waistband and placed it on the vehicle seat, Judd said.
The 3-year-old, who was in the backseat, grabbed the gun and pulled the trigger, deputies said.
(Polk County Sheriff's Office)
The boy’s father said he heard a loud pop before frantically running around the vehicle, while a bystander called 911. First responders took the child to a local hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead at 7:30 p.m.
What they're saying:
"If you pray, pray for this family," Judd said. "My officers are having a tough time with this one. They're in the middle right now of a debrief; they're struggling," he said.
"This is an absolute tragedy. There is going to be a family without a son tonight, without a nephew, without a cousin. There's going to be a mom and dad that are going to try and pick up the shambles of this horrific event, and in the end, the community itself is hurting. Any death is tragic. A kid who is about to turn 4 is almost unconscionable to me," said Bartow Deputy Chief Kyle Dowdy. "We are grieving with the family."
Will charges be filed?
What we don't know:
It’s unclear whether charges will be filed in connection with the tragedy. Judd said there is a Florida law of culpable negligence if a child gets a firearm and hurts himself or someone else. The decision on whether to bring charges would ultimately be up to the Florida State Attorney's Office, Judd said.
"Quite frankly, if the investigation concludes, according to what we see now, certainly we would not have any energy at all for suggestive criminal charges," he said. "This is a horrible tragedy, and that's all the indication we see at this point and time."
The Source: This report includes information from Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd and FOX 13 Tampa.