Accessibility links

Breaking News
USA

Florida Boy, 4, Accidentally Shoots Gun Activist Mother


Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense Facebook page screengrab
Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense Facebook page screengrab

A four-year-old Florida boy accidentally shot his mother hours after she boasted online about his skill with guns. Local police said Thursday they were investigating how the boy came into possession of the legally-owned firearm without his mother's knowledge.

The shooting occurred Tuesday while 31-year-old Jamie Gilt drove down a road in Putnam County, Florida. Gilt told police her son had accidentally shot her in the back with a 45-caliber gun after they found her truck stopped in the road. She is in stable condition in the hospital but is not yet well enough to speak with investigators.

Gilt actively promotes gun rights on social media and just hours before the shooting wrote on Facebook that her son "gets jacked up to target shoot."

The boy was not injured and is now staying with relatives. State child services is also investigating the incident.

Storing or leaving a loaded firearm where a child can gain access to it is a misdemeanor under Florida law.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG