Police: Boy, 4, accidentally shot by grandmother while she was unloading her gun at Philadelphia home
PHILADELPHIA - A 4-year-old boy is recovering after police say he was accidentally shot by his grandmother while she was unloading her gun inside a Philadelphia home Tuesday night.
Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called to a property on East Penn Street around 8:30 p.m. for reports of a shooting.
Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters that officers found a 4-year-old boy suffering from a gunshot wound to the abdomen inside the home.
The child was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center in critical condition and airlifted to St. Christopher's Hospital, police said.
In a Friday morning update, police said the boy was placed in stable condition.
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Investigators said the accidental discharge happened while the boy's 45-year-old grandmother was unloading her gun to place in a lock box and did not know a bullet was still chambered.
Police believe there were at least three other children inside the house at the time of the shooting. No other injuries were reported.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw took to Twitter following the shooting, saying, "These tragedies should never happen."
"While our department continues to investigate the circumstances of what initially appears to be a tragic accident, we pray that this boy - and all victims of gun trauma - make full recoveries,," Outlaw said.
No charges were reported by authorities immediately following the accidental shooting.