An Illinois toddler has accidentally shot and killed his mother after he found a gun in the backseat of a car.

According to Crime Online, the accident took place outside a grocery store in Dalton, Illinois on Saturday while the car was in the parking lot. The three-year-old boy sitting in the backseat got his hands on a loaded gun and played with it.

While the toddler was playing with the gun, it discharged, and his 22-year-old mother, Daejah Bennett, was shot in the neck and was pronounced dead a short time later. The toddler's father, who was also in the car, was unharmed.

However, Dolton Police Chief Robert Collins said Monday night that the boy's father, Romell Watson, will be charged with unlawful use of a weapon, WFSB reported. The 23-year-old dad, who reportedly owned the gun, is now in the custody of the police. 

Dolton trustee and crisis responder Andrew Holmes, who stood outside the supermarket the day after the shooting to hand out 400 gun locks, also spoke to shoppers and families about the importance of gun safety, WRAL News reported.

Holmes noted that incidents like this could have been prevented, adding that "all it takes is a second."

"All it takes is a second. Unlock it, thread it through the barrel, bring it back around, put it in and lock it back. If you leave it, secure it," Holmes said as reported by Local 12.

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Like the Illinois Toddler, Georgia Boy Finds Gun in a Car and Accidentally Shot Himself

Late last month, a four-year-old boy in Georgia died after he accidentally shot himself with a gun that was left inside his mother's car.

Miyell Hernandez was left inside the car of his mom, who went shopping inside a grocery store before he fatally shot himself. The boy's eight-month-old sister and their 13-year-old cousin were also inside the vehicle with him while in a Publix store parking lot.

According to DeKalb County police, Hernandez found his mom's unsecured gun and "accidentally shot himself." Police said the teenager ran inside the store for help after the gun went off. The four-year-old boy was rushed to a hospital but did not survive his injuries. 

Guadalupe Woods, Hernandez's aunt, told 11Alive that the mother of the Georgia boy went inside the grocery store to buy a birthday cake for his grandfather.

Accidental Shootings Involving Children

A national count by Everytown for Gun Safety, an American gun control nonprofit, showed that there had been at least 43 unintentional shootings by children across the country, resulting in 16 deaths and 29 injuries so far this year.

Between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2020, there were at least 2,070 unintentional shootings by children under 18 years old. It resulted in 765 deaths and 1,366 injuries, according to Everytown Research.

Gun sales had surged by 64 percent in 2020, and this rise, coupled with school closures due to the pandemic, has increased the risk for all household residents.

Between March and December 2020, the number of unintentional shooting deaths by children was 31 percent higher than during the same period in 2019. Last year, at least 377 unintentional shootings by children were recorded, resulting in 154 deaths.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: A Child Dies Every Other Day From Gun Accidents in U.S. - From PBS NewsHour