4-year-old accidentally shoots himself in Burger King parking lot

DACULA, Ga. (ANF/Gray News) — A 4-year-old accidentally shot himself in a Burger King parking lot on Wednesday.

The child’s mother said she and her son stopped at Burger King to get breakfast when she learned that her dog had been run over and killed. She said that in her grief, she did not notice that her son had grabbed a Glock from the truck’s glove compartment.

The woman said the child pointed the gun at her and fired, hitting his own index finger.

Officers responded to the Burger King in Dacula, Georgia, where they found the child. He was taken to a children’s hospital for treatment.

Gun safety expert Tim Downing said there are a few things parents should remember to prevent accidental shootings.

“One of the major things you are going to have is a holster. And the holster what it does is it blocks the trigger from being accessed,” Downing said. “Get training and get subject matter experts to explain things to you and advise you on what might fit in your vehicle or what’s the best practice for your type of vehicle because they make a bunch of different safes for different types.”

Detectives are still working to confirm the details of what happened. No charges have been filed.

“The number one thing is training. If you understand what your child can get into, you will understand how accidents can happen and you’ll be able to prevent them from happening,” Downing said.