CHICAGO — A trip to the supermarket in Dolton turned fatal this weekend when a 3-year-old boy found a gun in the back seat of a vehicle, picked it up and accidentally shot his mother in the neck, killing her.
Dejah Bennet, 22, was pronounced dead at University of Chicago Medical Center at 9:34 p.m. Saturday, according to information from the Cook County medical examiner’s office. She was rushed to the hospital after emergency responders located her suffering from a gunshot wound at the Food 4 Less Fuel Center, 1000 E. Sibley Blvd. in Dolton, officials said.
Andrew Holmes, a trustee for the city of Dolton and a community activist, said the shooting happened at Food 4 Less after Bennet and her son went grocery shopping. Soon after Bennet put the child in his car seat and she sat down in the driver’s seat, the toddler found and picked up a gun that had been left unattended.
Dolton police did not return multiple calls requesting information. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the boy pulled the trigger or if he may have dropped the gun or it otherwise malfunctioned, but when it discharged it sent a bullet into Bennet’s neck, killing her.
“This child has to go through this trauma for the rest of his life,” Holmes said. “He’s going to miss his mother.”
Holmes, who distributed 400 gun locks in Chicago on Feb.26 and an additional 400 in Dolton outside the supermarket Sunday, said accidental shootings such as this happen all too often. Making sure a gun is locked and stored away should be a priority for all gun owners, but especially for parents and guardians, Holmes said.
“Guns kill, especially when it gets in the hands of children and it’s not the child’s fault,” Holmes said. “It’s the adult’s fault because they have a responsibility to keep these guns locked down and away from these kids.”
Holmes said people often forget they’ve left their gun in the car, underscoring the importance of having the weapon locked — no matter where it’s stored.
“Some people put these guns in the seat, they don’t take it in the house and they forget when they come out in the morning that their children are getting inside of the car. And all of a sudden, that gun rolls out from underneath the seat of the car and the child gets a hold of it,” Holmes said.
