Two-Year-Old Boy Shoots Mother Dead At Walmart

A two-year-old boy has accidentally shot dead his mother at a Walmart store after a gun fired when he reached in her purse.

The shooting in Hayden, Idaho, about 40 miles (64km) northeast of Spokane, Washington, took place in the back of the store near the electronics department.

"Looking at the video from the store and interviewing some of the witnesses that we've got so far the shooting appears to be accidental," Kootenai County sheriff's spokesman Lieutenant Stu Miller said.

"The child looks to be sitting in the shopping cart with the purse while the female victim was shopping."

Authorities were unsure at first whether the toddler was the woman's son.

She was shopping with three other children before she was shot. Her husband was not with her, but arrived shortly after.

Lt Miller said the victim had had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

She was named as Veronica J. Rutledge, 29, of Blackfoot, Idaho and is understood to have been visiting relatives in the area.

Friends have been leaving tributes on Facebook.

Rhonda Ellis wrote: "It has been a very sad day today. A bright star that I loved like a sister is now an angel above us.

"She is gone too soon and her little boy will grow up with just a fleeting memory of his mommy.

"My heart aches for the family she left behind and makes me hold mine a little tighter. I love you, Roni!!"

Police spokesman Lt Miller said: "I am a big proponent of a concealed weapon for your own safety, however you have to be responsible and unfortunately in this case I guess all the precautionary measures weren't taken to ensure the safety of that weapon."

Brooke Buchanan, a spokeswoman for Walmart, called the shooting a "very sad and tragic accident".

"We are working closely with the local sheriff's department while they investigate what happened," she said.

The store was closed after the shooting and was not expected to reopen until the following morning.