Grandmother Mistakes Grandson For Burglar, Shoots Him

[Anthony]

A Florida grandmother accidentally shot and badly injured her 7-year-old grandson after mistaking him for an intruder at her home, authorities said.
Linda Maddox, 63, was babysitting her two grandsons while their father Reginald Maddox went to work.
The boy and his twin brother were sleeping in the their own room while their grandmother was sleeping in her bedroom.
Maddox told deputies she put a chair against the bedroom door handle for extra protection after putting the boys to bed.
[video=youtube_share;EUvoXd_fENc]http://youtu.be/EUvoXd_fENc[/video]
The grandmother told authorities around 1 a.m. Tuesday she heard the chair sliding along the floor.
Thinking it was an intruder, Maddox picked up her loaded .22-caliber revolver she keeps by her bed and fired a single shot in the darkness toward the door, according to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies.
A couple of seconds later, Maddox said she realized that she shot her grandson when he began to cry.
The boy was wounded in his upper body and was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital. He was listed in critical but stable condition.
Hillsborough sheriff's officials are still investigating the incident. Maddox was not arrested and charges haven’t been filed.

 

[Muthoni]

I am surprised that the grandmother would barricade her door when her grandsons are in the house. A number of kids have a tendency of waking up in the night while sleeping away from home. I just hope that this boy makes a full recovery and this incident is put behind them.

 

[sharpayvargas1]

Let's just be thankful that the boy survived this one. What an irony that the person who wants the household to be safe actually ends up hurting them. She must be paranoid or maybe their neighborhood isn't a friendly one so her instincts immediately pulled the trigger.

 

[headmaster]

I know the gun control debate is a real issue for so many people. I support the right to bear arms, but there should be stringent controls to go with it. People should undergo firearm training before being allowed to possess one. That woman barricaded her door when she had children in the house. That sounds wrong.