A pregnant US woman has been accidentally shot in the face by her four-year-old son after the boy found a loaded, unsecured gun under a mattress.
The 27-year-old woman and her boyfriend were watching television in bed on Saturday when their son found the gun between the mattress and box spring, Washington state authorities say.
The woman, who is eight months pregnant, was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. She was transferred to another hospital Sunday in improved condition.
The boy's father told King County police he borrowed the gun for protection. The gun wasn't reported stolen and is unregistered.
"We're reminding anybody with a gun, kids see them as toys," King County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sergeant Ryan Abbott said.
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"The biggest tragic lesson here is please lock-up your guns so they can't be used accidentally for the wrong reason."
Under a new state law, gun owners could face criminal charges for not safely storing a gun, but Abbott noted it doesn't come into effect until July.
The case is under investigation.
