Terror broke out in Hayden, Idaho when a two-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his mother while the family was shopping.
The mother, Veronica J. Rutledge, was a twenty-nine year mother of three who took her family shopping at Wal-Mart the night before New Years Eve. She walked away from the shopping cart while her two-year-old son remained in the cart, where he would reach into his mother’s purse, and grab a small-caliber handgun. The young child discharged the gun one time, which would fatally strike his mother.
Veronica did obtain a concealed weapons permit, and was legally allowed to carry the small handgun, and she was legally allowed to carry the weapon in a building or facility that has less then one thousand occupancies in it. Many may be wondering how irresponsible Veronica had to be to leave a purse with a loaded gun within reach of a two-year-old, but Veronica’s father-in-law was ready to defend her to the press as he stated that, “She was not the least bit irresponsible.”
Veronica’s husband shortly arrived on the scene, and the children were taken to a relative’s house near by. The Wal-Mart closed for the day, as expected, and reopened New Years Eve.
This is a truly tragic event that will impact the family forever, especially since it took place during the holiday season.
Photo: RushHourDaily / Joshua Lott
