A 5-year-old in North Carolina is in critical condition after accidentally shooting himself in the face.
Police say Jayden Brower unbuckled himself from a booster seat in his mother’s car as she pulled into the drive-thru at a fast-food restaurant, according to Winston-Salem’s Fox 8 News.
{mosads}Brower grabbed a .45 semi-automatic handgun that belonged to his father from the pocket on the back of the front passenger seat. The gun discharged by mistake, shooting the child in the face, police said.
His father, Randy Brower, said he usually keeps the gun on the driver’s side out of reach, but moved it while he was vacuuming the car.
“When my kids are in the car, it’s not even reachable,” he said. “I was in the car by myself when I was vacuuming so I felt comfortable putting it right there.”
Police have not filed charges against either of Jayden Brower’s parents, according to Fox 8. Randleman police said they’ll know more about possible charges after investigators meet with the district attorney’s office. The incident occurred Sunday.
Randy Brower said the accident is a wake-up call to “be more cautious and be more alert.”
“My whole family is hurting from this situation,” he said. “And I don’t want anyone else to go through what my family is going through right now.”