A toddler accidentally fires his mother’s gun in Walmart, police say. She now faces charges

WAVERLY, Ohio — Police say a woman is facing a child endangerment charge after her toddler found a gun in her purse and accidentally fired it at a Walmart store in southern Ohio last week.

Waverly police said the woman told officers shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday that the 2-year-old boy had taken her Taurus 9mm firearm from her purse and it went off.

Police said the bullet penetrated the store’s ceiling and left the child with a minor injury to his forehead “as a result of contact with the magazine.”

Police said the woman, whose name was not released, was taken into custody and charged in Pike County Court with child endangerment. The boy was released into the care of a guardian and taken to an urgent care facility, police said.

Waverly police said in a statement on their Facebook page that such incidents “underscore the need for increased awareness and safety measures” and the department “stresses the importance of responsible firearm ownership and storage, especially those involving children.”