3-year-old shot when he climbs onto man’s lap and triggers gun in pocket, AL cops say

A 3-year-old boy was shot when he climbed onto a man’s lap and triggered a gun that was in the man’s pocket, according to Alabama police.

Officers responded to a local hospital where the boy was being treated on July 20 at around 8:40 p.m., according to a news release from the Dothan Police Department.

The boy had been shot in the “upper leg area,” an officer told McClatchy News.

Police found that the child had accidentally hit the trigger of a pistol in the man’s pocket as he climbed onto his lap, the release says.

The boy was treated and released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, the officer told McClatchy News. Dothan is about 110 miles southeast of Montgomery.

No charges will be filed, the officer said.

This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 3:31 PM with the headline "3-year-old shot when he climbs onto man’s lap and triggers gun in pocket, AL cops say."