North Carolina Mother Of Five Fatally Shot After Children Find Gun In Her Purse, Youngest Child Injured

A gun accident has led to the death of a mother of five.

One mother of five is dead, and her youngest child is injured after the 25-year-old woman was fatally shot in Cornelius, North Carolina, CNN reports.

The outlet reports that Gabriel Alexis Henderson was “inadvertently shot,” possibly after her children found a semi-automatic handgun inside her purse.

When police arrived at the scene, they found the mother in a back bedroom with the woman’s Ghandgun on the bed. Four of the children were in the room with her, and the oldest was in the living room. The youngest child is currently recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

“The mother was inadvertently shot, as well as the youngest child,” authorities said in the release. “The youngest child was transported by Medic to Atrium Main in Charlotte with non-life-threatening injuries.”

According to a 2019 study, locking up guns in the home can prevent a third of gun suicides and accidental deaths amongst children and teens, CNN reports.