WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — An 8-year-old Florida girl was shot in the face on Tuesday when her 10-year-old brother found a loaded firearm in an unattended SUV and the gun accidentally discharged, authorities said.
The children were among four siblings left in the vehicle while their mother went into a RaceTrac gas station in West Palm Beach at about 9:30 a.m. EST, WPTV reported.
According to West Palm Beach Police Department spokesperson Mike Jachles, the boy was rummaging through the vehicle’s center console box and found a semi-automatic Glock handgun, WPEC-TV reported. The weapon accidentally discharged and struck his sister in the face, according to the television station.
“The bullet is apparently lodged somewhere in the door or frame of the vehicle,” Jachles said.
The girl was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach and is expected to survive, the spokesperson told reporters.
The other two children in the vehicle -- a 1-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl -- were unharmed, WPEC reported.
“The circumstances could have been much worse,” Jachles told reporters. “Every handgun comes with responsible ownership, and all it takes is a minute. And every handgun should be treated as if it’s loaded and certainly not in the hands of children.”
“We’re very lucky in this situation, but it’s very scary and should be a wake-up for many parents,” Kathy Wall, the director of Safe Kids Palm Beach County, told WPBF-TV.
Police are investigating the incident, along with the Florida Department of Children and Families, according to WPEC.
Jachles said it was too early to determine whether the children’s mother will face any charges, WPTV reported.