Toddler Shoots and Kills His Mother at Walmart

A Walmart in Idaho was the scene of a terrible tragedy when a two-year-old child reached into his mother’s purse and accidentally shot and killed her with her own gun.

The victim was identified by police as Veronica Rutledge, 29, of Blackfoot. Police with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said Rutledge died from a gunshot in a Walmart store in Hayden. The store was evactuated after 10:20 a.m. on Tuesday morning when the gunshot was heard. KREM reports:

Rutledge was shopping with four kids, when her two-year-old son reached into her purse and accidentally discharged the weapon, according deputies. Authorities said the toddler was seated in the shopping cart when the gun was discharged. The woman and children were in the back of the store near the electronics area when the deadly shooting happened.

Police said during a preliminary investigation they reviewed surveillance video which shows the shooting was accidental. The store is closed and police plan to continue their investigation tomorrow.

“A very sad and tragic incident happened in our Hayden store involving a female customer, and we’re working with the local sheriff’s department while they investigate what happened,” Walmart spokesperson Brooke Buchanan told ABC News.

KREM reports Rutledge had a concealed weapon permit:

Idaho recognizes concealed-weapons permits from other states, but people who decide to keep their guns hidden must carry the out-of-state license with them at all times, according to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office website. Unless a private business prohibits weapons on its property, anyone with a concealed-weapons permit can carry a firearm. About 7% of adults in Idaho — more than 85,500 people — had concealed-weapons permits at the end of 2012, according to data from the Crime Prevention Research Center.