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Florida officials investigate how 4-year-old who shot mom got gun

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<p>A Florida woman is recovering after being shot in the back by her 4-year-old son. </p><p>Jamie Gilt of Jacksonville, Florida, was <a href="http://www.fox30jax.com/news/local/charges-possible-for-mother-shot-by-4-yo/152989345" target="_blank">reportedly driving Tuesday afternoon</a> when the child picked up a gun in the back seat and fired a shot. The bullet struck the woman in the back and exited her torso. </p><p><a href="http://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/putnam-county/4-year-old-shoots-mom-in-car" target="_blank">Putnam County Sheriff's deputies</a> are still looking into how the child got hold of the gun, and charges could be pending. </p><p>"How was the firearm secured? Where was it carried in the vehicle? And exactly how did the young boy come in possession of the firearm?" Capt. Joseph Wells said to <a href="http://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/putnam-county/4-year-old-shoots-mom-in-car" target="_blank">WJXT</a>. </p><p>After the incident, several media outlets pointed out Gilt's public pro-gun stance. </p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Jamie-Gilt-for-Gun-Sense-1744733205746202/" target="_blank">A community Facebook page</a> titled "Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense" is described as "a page to connect people that share a common goal. ... to protect and expand our 2nd Ammendment [sic] rights."</p><p>Gilt was taken to the hospital after the incident and was listed in stable condition. </p><p><i>This video includes images from </i><a href="http://www.local10.com/news/fla-pro-guns-mom-shot-by-4-year-old-son" target="_blank"><i>WPLG</i></a><i>, </i><a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/pro-gun-florida-mom-shot-4-year-old-son-article-1.2558180" target="_blank"><i>New York Daily News</i></a><i> and </i><a href="https://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/gun-loving-florida-mom-shot-by-4-year-old-son-hours-after-bragging-he-gets-jacked-up-to-shoot/" target="_blank"><i>The Raw Story</i></a><i>.</i></p>
Posted at 6:34 AM, Mar 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-10 08:15:36-05

PALATKA, Fla. (AP) — Sheriff's investigators in north Florida were trying on Thursday to determine how a 4-year-old boy got his hands on the gun they say he used to shoot his mother as she drove a pickup truck.

Jamie Gilt, 31, of Jacksonville owns the .45-caliber gun the boy fired Tuesday afternoon, Putnam County Sheriff's Office spokesman Joseph Wells said.

Well said a deputy saw her behaving frantically inside the truck, which was stopped partially in the road. The deputy then saw she'd been shot in the back and the bullet had exited from her stomach area, Wells said.

Gilt told deputies her son had accidentally shot her, according to Wells. She was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition, but investigators had not been able to interview her, Wells said.

The boy, who wasn't injured, is with relatives. The Florida Department of Children and Families also is investigating.

Under Florida law, it is a misdemeanor for someone to store or leave a loaded gun where a child has access to it.

"They must keep firearms secured and locked," Wells said.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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