Police: Child dies in hospital after accidentally shooting himself in Lehi parking lot
Sep 2, 2024, 9:11 PM | Updated: Sep 3, 2024, 5:53 pm
LEHI — An 8-year-old boy died in the hospital after suffering an accidental gunshot wound to the head Monday night.
According to Jeanteil Livingston with the Lehi City Police Department, the minor was alone in a vehicle at a Maverik, located at 3569 N. Thanksgiving Way, at the time of the incident. Livingston said first responders were first notified just before 8 p.m.
On-duty officers nearby responded to the scene and provided life-saving procedures for the boy. Livingston said the child was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital and later flown by helicopter to a different hospital.
A witness, Doug Shields, told KSL TV they heard a mother yelling for help.
“And then she goes, ‘He shot himself, he shot himself, he shot himself,'” Shields said. “And I first thought suicide, and she goes, ‘He found the gun under my seat and pulled the trigger.’ It apparently was an accident. It was a total accident.”
Shields said he ran over and saw the child covered in blood and other people helping the child. He and another bystander helped the mother over to a curb nearby as the child was being medically attended and she passed out.
When she found consciousness, Shields said she told him she and her child had gone to the store to get a treat.
Ciara Curtis, an employee at the Maverik gas station, told KSL TV on Tuesday that the mom and boy regularly visit the station and bring joy to everyone they meet. When the shooting happened, it was chaos.
“I came out and saw all the blood; I ran back in. I’m not very good with communication. They were like, ‘Why are you running?’ I was like towels, blood everywhere. So, I grabbed a whole stack, and my coworker just grabbed a box and rushed out there, and I’m handing them to her, ” Curtis said.
On Tuesday morning, the Lehi police confirmed the child died from their injuries while at the hospital.
Lehi police clarified that the child found the gun loaded but do not know if the safety was on or if a bullet was in the chamber. Police have not confirmed the identity or age of the child to KSL TV.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
