An 8-year-old boy found a gun at a college baseball game in Tennessee and accidentally shot his mother while thinking that it was a toy, police say.
The incident happened at a game between Memphis and UT Martin on Tuesday when the boy found the unsecured weapon in an antique car that was on display at Millington USA Stadium in Millington, Tennessee.
The mother, who was not identified, was sent to a hospital in critical condition. She was later upgraded to stable condition, according to WHBQ in Memphis.
"The juvenile believed it was a toy gun,” Millington police chief Mark Dunbar told reporters. “He picked the gun up, pulled the trigger and accidentally shot his mother. It was an accident, pure and simple.”
Gun owner charged
Police identified the owner of the gun as 76-year-old Charles McFarland. According to Good Morning America, McFarland has been charged with reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and no bond has been set as of yet.
The game was canceled and the stadium was evacuated as it became an active crime scene.
The University of Memphis released a statement on the shooting:
“We are saddened by the unfortunate accidental shooting at the baseball game at USA Stadium in Millington,” the statement reads. “The University of Memphis is cooperating fully with authorities in the investigation. Our deepest thoughts are with the family.”
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