MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A child is fighting for her life after accidentally shooting herself on Friday, Memphis Police said.
At 3:03 p.m., officers responded to an accidental injury in the 2500 block of Elmscourt Drive.
When officers arrived on the scene, they saw a 7-year-old child lying on the couch in the living room with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to her upper left thigh.
The complainant, the child’s mother, told officers that she, the victim and two others were laying in a bedroom watching television.
She said she didn’t know how her daughter gained access to the firearm because it was supposed to be secured underneath the mattress.
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The complainant said the child shot herself in the thigh at 2:48 p.m. She called the child’s father before calling the police.
An officer recovered the weapon underneath the mattress inside the bedroom and identified the firearm as a black Taurus 9mm.
The child was taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in critical condition.
The child’s father told officers the gun belonged to him and he was taken into custody at Le Bonheur.
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