Toddler accidentally shoots pregnant mom, killing her and unborn child, Ohio cops say

A 2-year-old boy accidentally shot his pregnant mother, killing her and her unborn child, Ohio police told news outlets.

Norwalk police received a call from the 31-year-old woman at about 1:30 p.m. on June 16, saying she had been shot, the department told WEWS. She called her husband first — who was at work — before dialing 911.

When officers arrived at the home, the door was locked and they had to break it open, police told the news outlet.

They found her in an upstairs bedroom with her son, police told WOIO. She was in pain but calm and communicative, explaining that the boy had found a gun the family kept in the bedroom and accidentally shot her in the back.

Baby gates were installed throughout the house, and the bedroom door was normally locked, the outlet reported. But the woman, who was 33 weeks pregnant, was doing laundry at the time and didn’t notice when her son found the gun and was playing with it.

She was taken to a hospital, but she was pronounced dead at 5 p.m. and her unborn child died at 2 p.m., WEWS reported.

Police consider the shooting to be accidental, the station reported.

“The Norwalk Police Department offers our sincere and heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and all those affected by the tragic passing of the young mother and her unborn son,” the department said in a Facebook post. “Words truly cannot express how heartbreaking this is, and we cannot imagine the pain and heartache you’re feeling.”

This story was originally published June 20, 2023 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Toddler accidentally shoots pregnant mom, killing her and unborn child, Ohio cops say."