In Southport, Florida, a five-year old child shot a seven-year old sibling with a 20-gauge shotgun while their mother slept in another room.  Sheriff’s deputies found the seven-year old bleeding on the bathroom floor in her mother’s arms with “severe and life-threatening injuries.” According to the report, the injured girl told investigators that her brother had accidentally shot her, but that she didn’t want to say anything that would get him in trouble.

The child’s mother, Kayla Tully, age 32, was arrested and charged with cruelty toward a child, aggravated abuse, four counts of child neglect and unsafe storage of a firearm.  She reportedly told police that she regularly left a loaded shotgun by the back door of her home.  On the night of the accident, she did so because she had heard a dog barking. 

Source:

“Florida 7-year-old Shot by Younger Sibling While Caregiver Slept, Deputies Say,” News Channel 6 (July 29, 2021).