WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — An 8-year-old girl was accidentally shot at a gas station Tuesday morning in West Palm Beach, police said.
Mike Jachles, a spokesman for the West Palm Beach Police Department, said the incident happened at about 9:30 a.m. at a RaceTrac gas station located at 2995 45th St.
Jachles said a mother left four children between the ages of one and 10 in her car and went inside the gas station.
One of the children, a 10-year-old boy, told police he was rummaging through the center console box and found a semi-automatic Glock handgun. The weapon accidentally fired, striking an 8-year-old girl in the face, Jachles said.
"The bullet is apparently lodged somewhere in the door or frame of the vehicle," Jachles said.
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The girl was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center, where she's expected to survive, according to Jachles.
Child services have been notified, but it's too early to know if the mother will face any charges, Jachles added.
Aerial video from WPTV Chopper 5 showed investigators focusing on a white SUV parked just feet from the front doors of the RaceTrac.
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The vehicle, which featured the logo of a local cleaning service, had several of its doors open. Red and yellow police tape could be seen on the ground next to the SUV.
James Woodside said what's happened is simply unthinkable.
"Wow, just a lot of questions. Something like that shouldn't happen," Woodside said. "It's close to the holidays, and it's just trauma for a child."
