Toddler shoots mum dead in Walmart

A 2-year-old boy accidentally killed his a 29-year-old woman believed to be his mother at this Hayden, Idaho Walmart after reaching into her bag and triggering her hidden gun.

Authorities in northern Idaho say a 2-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his mother after he reached into her purse at a Walmart store and the concealed gun fired.

Kootenai County sheriff's spokesman Stu Miller tells reporters that the shooting was accidental and occurred in the store in Hayden, Idaho, a town about 40 miles northeast of Spokane, Washington.

Authorities say the woman was shopping in the electronics department with what are believed to be her four children Tuesday morning when the accident happened. While many outlets have reported that the woman was the toddler's mother, conflicting reports say the relationship between the two has not yet been verified.

They say she was visiting from out of town, looking to spend some gift cards the family received over the holidays.

Miller says the woman had a concealed weapons permit. Her identity has not been released, as authorities wait to inform her family.

The Walmart was evacuated and closed after the shooting, and the store's manager says it will reopen tomorrow at 6am.

Walmart responded to the tragic shooting in a statement issued this afternoon by spokesman Aaron Mullins: 'A very sad incident occurred at our store today involving the death of a female customer. We are fully cooperating with the Kootenai County Sheriff's deputies as they investigate this matter.'

Hayden is a politically conservative town of about 9,000 people just north of Coeur d'Alene in Idaho's northern panhandle.

Calls to the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office were not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon.

- Daily Mail