A Massachusetts woman faces a firearms charge after her gun accidentally went off Monday night at a Walmart checkout, officials said.
The 31-year-old woman admitted that her 9 mm handgun discharged in the store in Northborough, about 30 miles west of Boston, Northborough police said.
The woman said the trigger was accidentally pulled while she was digging through her purse at the checkout, according to police.
“Upon arrival officers determined that nobody was struck and there were no injuries. The projectile was recovered from the floor,” police said in a statement.
The Worcester woman faces a charge of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of an occupied building. Worcester is about 10 miles east of Northborough, where the Walmart is located.
Police said a state agency will review the circumstances of the discharge because the woman’s toddler was with her when the gun went off, NBC Boston reported.
“The child was fine. His father was also present. The father immediately took the child away,” Police Lt. Brian Griffin said at a news conference.
The gun, the ammunition and the purse were voluntarily surrendered, police said. The woman’s firearms license was suspended, NBC Boston reported.
“Clearly, it was a reckless act,” Griffin said. “That firearm should have been in a holster, at the very least.”
Contact information for the woman could not be found through public records.
Tim Fitzsimons is a reporter for NBC News. he/him
