RANDLEMAN, N.C. – Police have released more information about the shooting of 5-year-old outside a Wendy’s restaurant in North Carolina on Sunday. The boy is in critical condition after being shot in the face, according to WGHP.
The boy, described as about 5 years old, was inside a booster seat and unbuckled himself as his mother pulled up to the drive-thru, according to Randleman police.
The child was able to get a .45 semi-automatic handgun from a pocket on the back of the car’s front passenger seat. The gun went off and the child was shot in the face, police said.
The boy was taken to Randolph Health and flown to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Officials have not released the victim’s name.
Police said the mother and her child were the only people in the car at the time. The gun belonged to the boy’s father who said he put it in the back pocket of the front seat while vacuuming two days earlier, according to police. Police said he forgot about the gun and the mother did not know it was there.
Investigators will meet with the district attorney’s office to determine any charges.
The restaurant remained closed for the rest of the day.
