Toddler shoots, kills mother at Walmart store in northern Idaho
Updated about 4 hours ago
Wed 31 Dec 2014, 12:58pm
A two-year-old boy shot dead his mother when he pulled a handgun from her handbag and accidentally fired it in a Walmart store in the US, police say.
A statement from Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said preliminary investigations showed the 29-year-old woman was shopping with her two-year-old son and other family members when the shooting took place.
“Her son was seated in the shopping cart and accessed the victim’s concealed weapon from her purse and discharged it, striking the victim,” the statement said.
Lieutenant Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter that the shooting appeared to be accidental.
Local KREM-TV reported that the woman had been shopping with four children when the shooting occured.
Police identified the victim as Veronica Rutledge of Blackfoot, Idaho.
Walmart spokeswoman Brooke Buchanan said: “A very sad incident occurred at our store today in Hayden involving the death of a female customer.”
“We are working with the Kootenai Sheriff’s department as they investigate what happened.”
Ms Buchanan said the store had been closed and would remain so until further notice.
Texas teen accused of shooting toddler dead for jumping on bed MAY 21, 20168:26PM
A TEENAGER has been accused of murdering his three-year-old stepson because the child wouldn’t stop jumping on his bed.
George Coty Wayman, 18, was arrested and charged over the incident inside the family’s trailer home in the tiny Texas town of Bellevue on Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege Wayman’s stepson, three-year-old Dominic Tra’Juan Castro, was jumping on the bed when he was shot in the back of the head, killing him.
Paramedics were called to the scene but the little boy died on the way to hospital.
Witnesses initially told police Dominic had accidentally landed on the gun, causing it to discharge, the Chicago Tribute reported.
But the stories later changed, with witnesses admitting Wayman had pointed the gun at the boy and told him if he didn’t stop jumping on the bed he would shoot him.
“Investigators interviewed eyewitnesses in the bedroom at the time of this incident and have determined that Wayman is the individual that pointed and discharged the handgun that caused the death of the victim,” the arrest warrant read.
In addition to charge of capital murder, Wayman also faces one count of criminal trespass.
His bail has been set at $US505,000 ($AU700,000), according to the Dallas Morning News.
Memorials to Dominic appeared on social media after his death, along with calls for a stiff sentence for his stepfather.
The boy’s biological father is reportedly in jail for multiple convictions.
Yeah read that the other day. Guy sounds like a quality young man.
Texas teen accused of shooting toddler dead for jumping on bed MAY 21, 20168:26PM
A TEENAGER has been accused of murdering his three-year-old stepson because the child wouldn’t stop jumping on his bed.
George Coty Wayman, 18, was arrested and charged over the incident inside the family’s trailer home in the tiny Texas town of Bellevue on Tuesday.
Prosecutors allege Wayman’s stepson, three-year-old Dominic Tra’Juan Castro, was jumping on the bed when he was shot in the back of the head, killing him.
Paramedics were called to the scene but the little boy died on the way to hospital.
Witnesses initially told police Dominic had accidentally landed on the gun, causing it to discharge, the Chicago Tribute reported.
But the stories later changed, with witnesses admitting Wayman had pointed the gun at the boy and told him if he didn’t stop jumping on the bed he would shoot him.
“Investigators interviewed eyewitnesses in the bedroom at the time of this incident and have determined that Wayman is the individual that pointed and discharged the handgun that caused the death of the victim,” the arrest warrant read.
In addition to charge of capital murder, Wayman also faces one count of criminal trespass.
His bail has been set at $US505,000 ($AU700,000), according to the Dallas Morning News.
Memorials to Dominic appeared on social media after his death, along with calls for a stiff sentence for his stepfather.
The boy’s biological father is reportedly in jail for multiple convictions.
Walmart as a redneck wonderland has to be seen to be believed. They even provide golf carts for people who are so obese they can’t walk around the store.
Walmart as a redneck wonderland has to be seen to be believed. They even provide golf carts for people who are so obese they can't walk around the store.
I remember going into a Walmart when a bus tour through Louisiana stopped there. Eye-opening, particularly the guns, hunting and ammo section. Wow!
Only went into one last trip, in Springfield MO, because it was over the road from the hotel, and we wanted to get trail mix (in reasonable quantities). Didn’t check out the whole store. Bass Pro’s home base is there, and that’s Ray’s Outdoors on steroids…real good steroids.
It’d be interesting to go to a store in say Minot ND or Coeur Alena ID, and see if all the staff there speak only Spanish too.
Love to know what kind of pistol it is that a 2yo can pull the trigger, most revolvers have a 4 pound trigger pull at minimum and if it was an automatic she must have one up the spout.
Of course no-one worries about the perils of falling out of bed - 598 dead and the 781 who died smoking in bed, we worry about the 12 who died in mass shootings this year but not the 5598 who died while texting in their cars.
Anyone who died in mass shootings had no say in it.
If anyone actually died texting while driving (instead of killing a cyclist or pedestrian which is what they normally do) they should be congratulated for removing themselves from the gene pool.
Love to know what kind of pistol it is that a 2yo can pull the trigger, most revolvers have a 4 pound trigger pull at minimum and if it was an automatic she must have one up the spout.
Of course no-one worries about the perils of falling out of bed - 598 dead and the 781 who died smoking in bed, we worry about the 12 who died in mass shootings this year but not the 5598 who died while texting in their cars.
12?
There’s been 14 killed in police shootings just since Christmas, 18 people killed in mass shootings just in December, 35 in accidental shootings in December, etc etc etc.
It’s in the vicinity of 12,000 Americans killed by guns per year, but what’s a few orders of magnitude between friends?
Love to know what kind of pistol it is that a 2yo can pull the trigger, most revolvers have a 4 pound trigger pull at minimum and if it was an automatic she must have one up the spout.
Of course no-one worries about the perils of falling out of bed - 598 dead and the 781 who died smoking in bed, we worry about the 12 who died in mass shootings this year but not the 5598 who died while texting in their cars.
12?
There’s been 14 killed in police shootings just since Christmas, 18 people killed in mass shootings just in December, 35 in accidental shootings in December, etc etc etc.
It’s in the vicinity of 12,000 Americans killed by guns per year, but what’s a few orders of magnitude between friends?
Cops in the US have killed over 400 people in 2014
