Two New Mexico parents were recovering after being shot by their 3-year-old son over the weekend.
Albuquerque police said that the incident occurred around 2 p.m. on Saturday at an America's Best Value Inn.
Justin Reynolds told KEB that he and his pregnant girlfriend, Monique Villescas, were about to order a pizza to their hotel room when the gun went off.
"It was like if I was to get up shake your hand and sat back down. That's how fast it happened," Reynolds recalled. "All of a sudden we heard a gun go off and the next minute I realized my girlfriend was bleeding. Then I sat down and realized I was shot too."
An initial investigation determined that the boy removed the handgun from his mother's purse, and was able to fire a single round. The bullet traveled through Reynolds' buttocks, and then struck Villescas in the right shoulder.
"I just took action right away," Reynolds said. "I was more worried about my girlfriend than myself and anything else that was going on. And my son because I didn't know if he had shot himself or not. He was shocked and crying. It was traumatizing."
Both parents were transported to a local hospital. Reynolds was released on Saturday, but doctors were keeping Villescas under hospital care until she goes into labor. She was reportedly in stable condition.
An initial investigation by Albuquerque police indicated that the shooting was an accident, but investigators were also waiting to speak to the couple's 2-year-old daughter. The district attorney's office was expected to decided whether to file felony criminal negligence charges.
"The Albuquerque Police Department cannot emphasize enough that if you choose to be a gun owner ALWAYS secure and lock up your firearm out of the reach of children and adolescents," a statement from the Albuquerque police department said on Saturday.
