A Hinesville woman was shot and wounded by her 2-year-old son early Wednesday morning. According to an incident report filed by Hinesville Police Officer Scott Mercer, he and several officers responded to a call of an accidental shooting in the 100 block of Deann Drive.
When Mercer arrived, he found the woman sitting in the front doorway, crying for help. Once the residence was cleared, Mercer administered first aid to the woman until emergency medical personnel arrived. Meanwhile, HPD Officer Ivan Saez found the woman’s daughter and son inside the home.
Two handguns were found by Saez on a nightstand in the woman’s bedroom.
The woman told officers she thought she saw someone lurking outside her home, so she loaded one of the guns, put it on the nightstand and went to use the restroom. She told police she then got into her bed, started texting on her cellphone and did not notice her 2-year-old son enter the room. She said she was getting up to clean the kitchen when the child accidentally shot her once in the right arm.
The woman told police no other adults were in the home at the time of the shooting. The woman’s husband is a Fort Stewart soldier.
The children were picked up by a family friend while their mother was taken to Liberty Regional Medical Center in Hinesville. She later was taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah. The bullet shattered a bone in the woman’s arm.
Det. Jeff Davis is investigating the incident. He said authorities have determined the gunshot was not self-inflicted.