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OGDEN -- A child in Ogden got a hold of his mother's gun Friday morning and fired a shot while two other children were in the room. No one was hit, but when the gun recoiled it hit the boy in the head.
According the family, the trouble inside the apartment began Thursday night. The single mother who lives there heard banging on her door in the night and got her 9mm gun out of the safe. It was sitting on her dresser when her 3-year-old boy found it Friday morning.
"There were two other children in the room, ages 2 and 4. Mom was in another room in the apartment," said North Ogden Police Officer Paul Rhoades.
The 3-year-old fired a shot; the bullet traveling through the wall, into a furnace room and up into the ceiling. The gun recoiled, hitting him in the forehead.
When emergency responders arrived, they found the boy bleeding and initially thought he had been shot. He was taken to Ogden Regional Medical Center and treated for his injuries.
"It was tragic enough as it was, but it could have been a travesty for the family," Rhoades said.
"It was shocking, especially for this kind of neighborhood," said Janice Hunt, whose son lives in the apartment complex
Neighbors learned the news as they came home from work. While they were relieved no one was hurt, there was concern about what happened.
"That's scary, because there are other kids, there are other tenants here," Hunt said.
The case will be forwarded to the Weber County Attorney's Office to determine if any charges will be filed against the mother. Meanwhile, police say the close call serves as a warning to parents everywhere.
"If you're going to have guns in the house, keep them locked up, keep them unloaded. Don't assume your kids aren't going to get a hold of them, because they will," Rhoades said.
There's no timetable on when the Weber County Attorney's Office will make its decision. The mother's name is not being released.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
