An 8-year-old boy accidentally fires at his mother during a baseball game, the owner of an accused firearm

May 15, 2019, 13:29 UTC

By Minyvonne Burke

A mother from Tennessee was hospitalized in critical condition after her 8-year-old son accidentally shot her at a baseball game at the university, police said.

The owner of the gun, Charles McFarland Jr., has been arrested and faces charges of reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.

Mother and son were at the annual Babe Howard Classic game Tuesday night at the US baseball stadium in Millington, about 30 minutes north of Memphis, when the boy found a loaded weapon playing in an old World War II jeep owned by McFarland, "he said.

The jeep had been on display as part of a stadium celebration for veterans, the Millington Police Department said in a press release.

The child, thinking that the gun was a toy, pulled the trigger and fired at his mother. She was taken to a hospital in Memphis in critical condition, police said.

Authorities said at a press conference Tuesday that the mother, who was not named, was aware when she left the stadium.

A bond was not set for 76-year-old McFarland.

"Secure your guns," said Millington Police Chief Mark Dunbar. "Everyone has the right to wear, if he has a transport permit, but you have to use common sense and secure your weapons."

The match between the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee at Martin was suspended due to the shooting.