Police: Rock Hill boy, 4, finds loaded gun, shoots grandmother in back

A Rock Hill grandmother was shot Sunday when her 4-year-old grandson found a loaded gun in the car she was driving and then fired it, striking her in the back, police said.

The 40-year-old victim told police she was driving when she heard the gun go off and realized she had been shot, according to a police report. The shooting happened just after 1 p.m. as the woman was driving through a traffic light at Ogden Road and Heckle Boulevard in southern Rock Hill.

The grandmother told police she had gone to pick up the child at his other grandmother’s home. The .357 had reportedly been left in a pouch on the back of the passenger seat.

The grandmother was taken to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte and remained hospitalized Monday, said Capt. Mark Bollinger, a Rock Hill Police spokesman.

Investigators determined that the vehicle belongs to the 4-year-old boy’s mother, Bollinger said. They are still trying to determine who owns the gun and if any charges will be filed.

“There’s been no charges at this time, but the detective division will look into it,” he said. “We’ve got to determine whose gun it was and why they put it in the pouch.”

Bollinger said the gun’s owner could face charges since the firearm wasn’t properly stored in the car.

Check back for more details.

This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Police: Rock Hill boy, 4, finds loaded gun, shoots grandmother in back."