ASHTABULA COUNTY, Ohio — A 2-year-old boy was accidentally shot in Ashtabula County on Monday morning.
The Ashtabula County Sheriff's Office says that it received a report of a child shot in the 5700 block of Creek Road just before 11:30 a.m. The caller told the dispatcher's office that the child had possibly been shot in the stomach.
Upon arriving, officers found the child in the dining room with his mother. The bullet is believed to have entered his stomach, exiting through the left side of his chest.
Authorities do not currently know how the firearm was discharged. The child’s father, as well as his 9 and 4-year-old siblings, were all in the garage with him at the time of the incident.
The child’s father reportedly told authorities that he heard what sounded like a firecracker as he was working in the garage. The father said he turned around and saw the child standing over the pistol still in its holster and noticed a hole in the boy’s jacket.
The father told deputies that the gun is normally kept in his truck, but that he brought it into the garage the night before and forgot to return it to the vehicle.
The child was transported to Ashtabula County Medical Center before being transferred to MetroHealth in Cleveland for treatment of his injuries. The child is expected to recover.
An investigation remains ongoing.
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