- Woman killed in the accident at a Hayden, Idaho Walmart was 29-year-old Veronica J. Rutledge
- Authorities say she had a concealed weapons permit
Authorities in northern Idaho have identified the mother shot dead by her 2-year-old son as 29-year-old Veronica J. Rutledge of Blackfoot.
According to police, the boy was seated in a shopping cart when he reached into his mother's purse at a Walmart store, accessed the concealed gun and fired.
Kootenai County sheriff's spokesman Stu Miller tells reporters that the shooting was accidental and occurred in the store in Hayden, Idaho, a town about 40 miles northeast of Spokane, Washington.
Authorities say the woman was shopping in the electronics department with what are believed to be her four children Tuesday morning when the accident happened.
Tragic accident: A 2-year-old boy accidentally killed his a 29-year-old mother Veronica Rutledge at a Hayden, Idaho Walmart after reaching into her bag and triggering her hidden gun
Unthinkable: People stand inside the Walmart in Hayden, Idaho on Tuesday after the two-year-old boy tragically killed his own mother while they shopped. The Walmart was evacuated and closed after the shooting, and the store's said it would reopen Wednesday at 6am
They say she was visiting from her hometown of Blackfoot, Idaho and looking to spend some gift cards the family received over the holidays.
The deadly incident was captured on video surveillance and several store employees also witnessed the event.
Miller says the woman, subsequently ID'd as Rutledge, had a concealed weapons permit.
The Walmart was evacuated and closed after the shooting, and the store's manager says it will reopen tomorrow at 6am.
Walmart responded to the tragic shooting in a statement issued this afternoon by spokesman Aaron Mullins: 'A very sad incident occurred at our store today involving the death of a female customer. We are fully cooperating with the Kootenai County Sheriff's deputies as they investigate this matter.'
Miller says the woman, subsequently ID'd as Rutledge, had a concealed weapons permit.
There do not appear to be reliable national statistics about the number of accidental fatalities involving children handling guns.
In neighboring Washington state, a 3-year-old boy was seriously injured in November when he was accidentally shot in the face by a 4-year-old neighbor. The boy was wounded as the children played in a home in Lake Stevens, about 30 miles north of Seattle.
In April, a 2-year-old boy apparently shot and killed his 11-year-old sister while they and their siblings played with a gun inside a Philadelphia home. Authorities said the gun was believed to have been brought into the home by the mother's boyfriend.
Hayden is a politically conservative town of about 9,000 people just north of Coeur d'Alene in Idaho's northern panhandle.
Walmart responded to the tragic shooting in a statement issued this afternoon by spokesman Aaron Mullins: 'A very sad incident occurred at our store today involving the death of a female customer. We are fully cooperating with the Kootenai County Sheriff's deputies as they investigate this matter.'
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