A boy was taken to the hospital after his mother accidentally shot him in the leg because she thought he was an intruder, the Pembroke Pines Police Department in Pembroke Pines, Florida, said.
At about 1:43 a.m. Sunday, police responded to a report of a shooting inside a home near Northwest 134 Avenue and Northwest 9th Street, police said in a news release.
When authorities arrived, they found an unidentified mother and son inside.
“[She] fell asleep on the couch in the living room while her son fell asleep upstairs in his room earlier that evening,” the Pembroke Pines Police Department said in a statement. The department added that the two were the only occupants of their home.
Texas grandfather accidentally shoots grandson, 12, while officiating wedding
The mother was awoken by a noise in the kitchen while she was sleeping on the living room couch, police said. The woman was afraid that it was an intruder, so she “removed the firearm that she had hidden in a purse next to her in the living room,” according to a police statement.
Then she went to the source of the noise, and her son was also in the kitchen at the same time. The two were then “frightened by each other’s presence,” police said.
“The mother accidentally fired the gun twice, hitting the floor once and accidentally hitting her son in the leg,” said the police.
Following the incident, the boy was taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
4-year-old accidentally shoots 2-year-old in Minnesota
Police are investigating the incident, but said at this time “there does not appear to be any criminal intent.” The Department for Children and Family was also contacted for the purpose of the investigation.
The Pembroke Pines Police Department and the Department of Children and Families did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for additional information on Monday.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education