COLUMBIA, S.C. – A 4-year-old girl shot herself in the chest yesterday after snatching her grandmother's handgun from the woman's purse while riding in a shopping cart at a Sam's Club store, authorities said.
Store workers grabbed first-aid materials off store shelves to help the grandmother as she cradled the wounded child near the store's pharmacy. "Everyone at Sam's Club is deeply saddened by today's tragedy," Tara Stewart, state spokeswoman for Wal-Mart and Sam's Club, said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the little girl and her family."
The girl was rushed to a hospital in critical condition and is recovering after surgery, said police department spokesman Brick Lewis. Hospital officials would not release her condition after the operation.
Lewis said the grandmother, Donna Hutto Williamson, has a permit to carry a concealed weapon and the purse containing the small-calibre handgun was in the cart near the child. The 47-year-old Williamson, of Salley, was not immediately charged with a crime.
Williamson, a South Carolina magistrate, was distraught after the shooting, her mother-in-law said.
"The grandmother is just beating herself up," said Inease Williamson, 68. "She is just so upset. Everyone is upset."
Officials said the shooting, which was captured on store surveillance cameras, appeared to be accidental. Lewis said police would not release the video.
The store was closed while police investigated the shooting. It reopened Monday afternoon.
Concealed weapons permit holders in South Carolina are not allowed to carry weapons into buildings that prohibit it, or into government buildings, schools and daycare facilities, among other places.
It was not immediately clear whether the store had a sign posted that prohibited carrying guns inside.
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