A Utah mom is in mourning and possibly, trouble, after her 8-year-old son found a gun in her car and accidentally shot and killed himself.
The mom was at a Maverik gas station in Lehi, Utah Monday night and went out of the car, leaving the son alone.
He reportedly found her gun taped under her car seat and accidentally shot himself. The wounded child was transported to hospital where he died.
Doug Shields, a witness who was filling up his own car at the time of the tragedy, narrated what happened to KUTV.
According to Shields, “he was just getting ready to put the nozzle in the tank” when he heard the gunshot.
“And all of a sudden I heard this lady screaming, ‘Help! Help! Help!” Shields continued.
“I stopped and I ran over there really fast,” Shields said. “As soon as I got there, she opened the passenger side door and I looked down, I saw this little boy — blood everywhere in the front seat.”
“She goes, ‘He shot himself! He shot himself! He shot himself!'” Shields recounted. “Then I’m like, ‘How did it happen?’ and she’s like, ‘He reached under the driver seat, found my gun that I keep under the driver seat, and pulled the trigger. It was all accidental.'”
According to the witness, the mother passed out for about half an hour following the tragedy before coming to.
It’s currently unclear if the gun was properly stored under the seat and if the safety was on or off.
It’s currently unclear if authorities plan to press charges or not.