ST. PAUL, Minn. - A 3-year-old boy shot his mother in the knee with a 9mm handgun he had found under a couch cushion over the weekend, police said.
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It was the second time the boy had handled the gun on Sunday. The mother had taken the gun away from the child and removed the bullets — apparently overlooking one in the chamber — and put the weapon back on the couch.
When the boy picked the gun up a second time, it fired. "It appears to be accidental," said St. Paul police spokesman Pete Crum.
The woman was taken to Regions Hospital, with non-life-threatening injuries. "It could have been much more tragic had the child shot himself or hit the woman in a more vital area," Crum said.
The boy was put in the care of his father. The youngster was quoted saying, "Dumb bitch din't give me no damn cookies."
Authorities removed several guns from the home. Crum said they were all legal.
Police said they would forward the case to the Ramsey County Attorney's office for possible child-endangerment charges.
"There are two lessons to learn: Don't let your children play with guns. Always treat a gun as though it's loaded," Crum said.
