A 2-year-old Clermont County boy was flown to a hospital Wednesday afternoon after he grabbed a loaded gun inside a vehicle at a Williamsburg home and shot himself in the leg, according to reports from WKRC-TV in Cincinnati.
The shooting happened around 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, November 11, on South Third Street in Williamsburg. Clermont County dispatchers described the shooting as “possibly accidental” in comments reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer through its media partner Fox19.
WKRC reported that the child, who is two and a half years old, had been helping his father clean out a vehicle in the driveway of the home. The father kept a loaded gun in the vehicle’s console, and the child grabbed the gun, which went off, with the bullet striking him in the leg, WKRC reported.
The boy was alert and able to communicate with officers after the shooting, WKRC reported. A medical helicopter was called to the scene, and the child was taken by AirCare for treatment.
WCPO-TV in Cincinnati first reported the shooting Wednesday afternoon, reporting that the toddler accidentally shot himself after finding the gun in a vehicle in Clermont County. The accounts from WKRC, WCPO and the Enquirer were consistent on the child’s age, the leg wound and the Williamsburg location.
No information about the boy’s condition beyond his transport to the hospital had been released as of Wednesday evening, and officials had not announced any charges in connection with the shooting. NewsForce247 does not identify young children injured in accidents.
The incident is the kind of accidental shooting that law enforcement agencies across Ohio regularly warn about: a loaded firearm stored inside a vehicle, within reach of a small child, can be picked up and fired in seconds. Investigators in Clermont County are expected to review how the gun was stored as part of their work on the case.
NewsForce247 will update this story as the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office or other officials release additional confirmed information about the child’s condition and the investigation.
Photo: Aesopposea, CC BY-SA