South Lake Tahoe, CA…Yesterday afternoon, July 31st, 2014, at 1610hrs, police and medic personnel were dispatched to the parking lot of the Staples office supply store (2061 Lake Tahoe Blvd.) in South Lake Tahoe regarding a report of a ten year old autistic boy who had accidentally shot himself in the hand. The child was transported directly to Barton Memorial Hospital by ambulance. Investigating officers learned the boy is visiting South Lake Tahoe in the company of his Grandparents. The boy’s Grandfather is a California peace officer from out of the area, and is lawfully authorized to carry a loaded firearm inside the vehicle. The child’s Grandfather had stored his personally-owned and fully loaded pistol in the closed glove box. The glove box has no locking mechanism. He waited with his Grandson in their vehicle while his wife went inside the Staples store.

The boy had been sitting in the back seat. The Grandfather got out so he could walk their dog around the immediate area of the parked vehicle. While he was standing to the rear of their parked vehicle, and without his notice, the child got into the front seat and retrieved the gun from the glove box. As his Grandmother left the store and was returning to the vehicle, the boy accidentally discharged the firearm. The bullet struck the little finger of the child’s right hand. After the gunshot, the victim got out of the truck and held his hand up where his Grandparents could see his finger had been shot. Although the victim sustained serious damage to his finger, his injury is not life-threatening.

Officers secured the weapon as evidence and are submitting their investigation to the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office for review and disposition concerning the possible filing of criminal charges for child endangerment. To help protect the identity of this special-needs child, neither his name, nor the names of his Grandparents, will be released by SLTPD at this time.