Child, 2, shoots pregnant mother, unborn sibling to death
2 min read 22 Jun 2023, 06:32 AM ISTA pregnant woman and her unborn child died after her two-year-old son accidentally shot her with a loaded handgun.
PremiumIn a heartbreaking incident in Ohio, a pregnant woman and her unborn child lost their lives last week after her two-year-old son accidentally shot her with a loaded handgun.
Police Chief David Smith provided details of the incident to local media, shedding light on the devastating consequences of the tragic event.
On the afternoon of June 16, 31-year-old Laura Ilg made a distressing call to emergency services, revealing that her two-year-old had unintentionally shot her in the back with a firearm. The shocking incident unfolded at their residence in Norwalk, Ohio, leaving the family in a state of distress and disbelief.
Promptly responding to the distress call, the police arrived at the scene without delay. Ilg was immediately transported to the hospital for urgent medical attention.
Despite the best efforts of medical professionals, tragically, the unborn baby could not be saved following an emergency cesarean section. Hours later, Ilg succumbed to her injuries, leaving behind a devastated community.
Early Saturday, the Norwalk Police Department said on its Facebook page that it offered "sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and all those affected by the tragic passing of the young mother and her unborn son."
Ilg was conscious when police arrived and told officers that her son had somehow gotten into the usually locked bedroom while she was doing laundry and started playing with the gun, according to Smith, AFP reported.
He said police found a Sig Sauer Micro 9mm handgun on a nightstand as well as two other loaded firearms. Ilg's husband, who was not at home at the time of the incident, said they belonged to him, according to media reports.
The accidental shooting is the latest in a long line of such incidents in the United States, a country of around 330 million people and some 400 million guns.
In March, in a heartbreaking incident near Houston, Texas, a three-year-old girl unintentionally caused the death of her four-year-old sister with a handgun. The incident occurred despite the presence of five adults, including the girls' parents, within their home.
According to the Pew Research Center, around 40% of households in the United States own guns, a statistic that underscores the prevalence of firearms in the country. Alarming as this figure may be, it is equally concerning to learn that less than half of these gun-owning households store their firearms safely, as reported by Johns Hopkins University's School of Public Health.
Police chief Smith said there had been some safety measures in place at Ilg's home, but urged gun-owners to take precautions.
"Trigger locks, gun safes, there are a million varieties, they're not that expensive. At the very least, leave them (guns) unloaded," he told News 5.
(With AFP inputs)