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4-year-old shot herself at Sam's Club with Grandmothers Gun
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by politisite | June 9, 2008 at 09:47 am
1747 views | 12 Recommendations | 11 comments
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Columbia -A local TV station is reporting that a 4 year old child removed a gun from her grandmothers purse and shot herself at the Sam's Club. The child was found in critical condition and is now receiving treatment at the Palmetto Health Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina
Update: Tuesday June 10 3:35 pm - The State Newspaper
The unidentified girl came out of surgery without complication and was in stable condition this morning, said police spokesman Brick Lewis. The girl is likely being cared for in the intensive care unit, he said.
Her grandmother, Aiken County magistrate Donna Hutto Williamson, has not been charged. The girl apparently found the gun in Williamson’s purse.
Lewis said police are trying to allow Williamson time to be with her family before they meet with her later this afternoon.
Update 5:40 pm - The Police have released the following infomation, The grandmother is not being charged in this incident, she has a permit for the weapon.
Politisite Note: Without viewing the video tape which will be released at a later date, Allowing a child near a loaded weapon is a crime and I think this woman should be charged. Again, I am being presumptious and don't have all of the facts. What do our readers think? Please let us know in the comments section of NP, WP, or BS.
Update 5:20 pm ET - Columbia, SC. We have a call in to the local hospital, for now WIS-TV our top local provider of news just released this
The child underwent emergency surgery Monday afternoon at Palmetto Health Richland Memorial Hospital.
No major organs were hit by the bullet, and the child is out of surgery and in the recovery room right now. The hospital says she's in stable condition.
WIS News 10 Columbia, SC
Police are calling it an accident after a four-year-old girl grabbed a gun out of her grandmother's purse and shot herself in the Harbison Blvd. Sam's Club.
The child was in critical condition at Palmetto Health Richland Memorial Hospital.
Investigators tell WIS News 10's Stewart Moore they believe the child was sitting in her grandmother's shopping cart when she pulled a small-caliber handgun out of her grandmother's shopping cart and accidentally shot herself in the chest.
The entire incident was captured on surveillance cameras near the store's pharmacy.
CPD spokesman Brick Lewis says the grandmother has not been charged with a crime, and no other injuries have been reported.
Lewis says the child had to undergo emergency surgery at Richland Memorial.
Store officials say the store was closed after the shooting, but was expected to reopen by 1:00pm.
We'll post more as it becomes available. For Video and Follow-up to this story see WIS News Ten in Columbia, SC
The Incident was captured on Video Survellance at Sam's Club and will be used to get a better Idea of what happeneded in this situation.
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politisite
Columbia, South Carolina, United States
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (11)
at 10:34 on June 9th, 2008
politisite, I like this story. It's good stuff.
What I would like to know is Where Granny? Most likely scooping up them there sale items, or buying up some of Walmart cheap .380 ammo.
If memory serves me, I never heard of any rampant crimes against human life ever being committed in a Walmart?
at 10:43 on June 9th, 2008
I will bet my gun and ammo on this one.... she is not a legal carry for that weapon. any one with any training knows that you keep your weapon and ammo away from kids. She also had that think locked and loaded as well i guess... unless it was a revolver. This child is in the hospital bacause one grandmother, who has a right to protect herself, didn't follow basic safety rules. I am sad for her and hope that she is able to work through this grief. Last check the child was in critical. There is a chance the outcome will end up being a costly lession rather than a death. I will keep all informed as this incident happened 20 miles for my office
at 11:19 on June 9th, 2008
Thanks for the update, politisite. What a terrible thing to happen, if she had kept it in a holster instead of her purse, this wouldn't have happened. What happens if you're mugged and the person steals your purse? It's not like you can fight them off if you're an old woman, and then they're armed - with *your* gun.
She definitely didn't think this through, it's unfortunate it's the child who is paying for it.
at 11:58 on June 9th, 2008
Rob, I was just emailing Barry about the same issue. One should not put a gun in a purse. A weapon should be on ones person, hidden away from anyone, A purse can be left somewhere, stolen, or gone through by a child, "for some candy" . I told Barry, I know many Canadians are against Guns, but they can be used to avert crime, and in the south often do. In this case, the crime was, a woman putting a gun in a purse near a child. I feel for this family and will continue to check with the hospital for updates.
at 12:48 on June 9th, 2008
politisite, an unfortunate and preventable tragedy.
at 13:25 on June 9th, 2008
We just got a report from our Local TV Station that the child is out of surgery, no vital organs we damaged, she is in the recovery room in stable condition.
at 13:33 on June 9th, 2008
Thank God for that, betcha Grandma won't be allowed near her grandchild for a long time.
at 13:37 on June 9th, 2008
The Hospital contacted me and cannot not even share if the child is in the hospital. In America, privacy violations are a big deal. For now, we will track down information for other sources. Thankfully, the news is good
at 11:49 on June 10th, 2008
Thanks for updating the story!
at 06:19 on June 12th, 2008
politisite, I like this story. It's good stuff.
Good stuff. SO this Magistrate, and a Grandmother, gets a permit to carry a loaded gun, in your state, and doesn't know the basic rules of gun safety, let alone that you never carry your weapon in a purse with the safety off? You just don't carry one in your purse, period!! I am sure this Judge G'ma has reviewed case after case in her years on the bench re: gun crimes, if not gun permits, and yet she is still this clueless?!! That alone should earn her a night in the pokey. I would have CPS intervene, take away her grand-parental rights, charge her with felony endangering a child, and have all future visits supervised until she is deemed to be a fit grandparent. But no, sounds like the wheels of "justice" in this case will on turn in favor of the Judge, not for the poor little critically injured child. And because the "suspect" was a Judge and the victim's grandmother in one, she will be excused, she will get away with this crime, which it is. In my State, she would be charged with attempted murder, if not attempted involuntary manslaughter. But she definitely would not get off scott free because of her status.
at 10:36 on June 12th, 2008
No one who goes through the extensive training program in SC should ever do what you have outlined here. A gun in a purse is a bad idea. There are guns made for purse carry but you don't ever have kids around. Yes she is a Magistrate from Aiken SC. That doen't mean much here, but anyone at any level of law enforcement shoudl know how to handle a weapon. I am now wondering if she got her permit w/o the training because of her status? No that would require change.
Thanks for your comment