A 6-year-old Florida girl accidentally shot her grandmother Thursday in a moving vehicle, according to North Port police,
The girl got a hold of her 57-year-old grandmother's gun in the backseat of her vehicle and shot the passenger seat, striking her grandmother in the lower back around 3 p.m. Thursday on the 2400 block of Tollefson Avenue, the North Port Police Department said in a press release.
The gun "was originally located in a holster, tucked in the back pocket of the driver seat, beneath a seat cover," NPPD said.
"This is an unfortunate example of the importance of gun safety," NPPD Chief Todd Garrison said in a statement. "Please take appropriate measures to make sure children cannot access firearms."
ELDERLY FLORIDA WOMAN SHOOTS ARMED INTRUDER AT 3 AM: ‘DECISIVE ACTION STOPPED THE THREAT’
Garrison added that the incident "could have been much worse, not only for the grandmother, but for the child," but "it appears that everyone is going to be okay."
The grandmother drove herself home and called 911. Authorities airlifted her to a nearby hospital.
Authorities interviewed the girl and other involved parties and determined the firearm discharge to be "accidental."
An investigation into the incident is ongoing.
