WEST PALM BEACH (CBS12) — A horrific scene unfolded at a gas station in West Palm Beach about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday when children were left unattended in a car with a loaded gun.
According to West Palm Beach Police, a mother of four left her children in the car to go inside a RaceTrac gas station off 45th Street. While she was inside the store, her 10-year-old son rummaged through the center console and found a loaded semi-automatic Glock.
West Palm Beach Police Department Spokesman Mike Jachles said the gun was fired, hitting one of the siblings, an 8-year-old girl, in the cheek. Two other children, a 1-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, were also in the car but unharmed.
When police arrived on the scene, they found the girl “conscious and alert. She was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center by the West Palm Beach Fire Department paramedics,” Jachles said.
The 8-year-old girl is expected to recover, police said.
West Palm Beach Police said this incident should act as a reminder about responsible gun ownership and making sure a gun doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.
“Every handgun comes with responsible ownership,” Jachles said. “Every handgun should be treated as if it’s loaded.”
The WPBPD’s Special Victims Unit along with the Florida Department of Children and Families are conducting separate investigations.
WPEC-CBS12 is a news partner of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
