Veronica J. Rutledge, 29, was shopping on Tuesday morning with her son and three nieces at a Wal-Mart in Hayden, Idaho. Her son discharged a small caliber firearm that Rutledge had in her purse. The single bullet struck Rutledge in the head and the deputies who responded to the accident found her dead.
Rutledge lived in Blackfoot, Idaho and was visiting relatives in the Hayden area. She did have a concealed weapons permit and Idaho state law allows firearms to be carried in retail stores in the area.
According to Stu Miller, Kootenai County sheriff’s spokesman, the boy had been left in the shopping cart with his mother’s purse. He got a hold of her small-caliber handgun and it discharged one time, striking and killing his mother.
“It appears to be a tragic accident,” said Miller. “It's very commonplace in northern Idaho for folks to have a concealed weapons permit and most businesses do not prohibit firearms.”
Both Terry Rutledge and her husband have concealed weapons permits and according to her father-in-law, Terry Rutledge, the couple often practiced at shooting ranges.
“She was not the least bit irresponsible,” Rutledge told the Associated Press. He complained that people were using the incident to attack his daughter-in-law.
Since the incident happened in a store, there is the possibility of further lawsuits. However, this is unlikely, but had there been a cash settlment involved, 123 Lump Sum is one company that could help manage it.
Terry Rutledge was a nuclear scientist employed at the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls, Idaho. The laboratory is involved in nuclear and energy research and national defense under the guidance of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Nicole Stricker, a spokeswoman for the Idaho National Laboratory, said to ABC news, “We’re deeply saddened by this tragedy.”
Rutledge had graduated valedictorian of her high school class in Harrison, Idaho. She graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in chemistry.
According to family members, Rutledge had taken the children, all under 11-years old, to Wal-Mart to spend their Christmas gift cards. According to Miller, Colt Rutledge, 32, arrived at the store at 10:20 a.m. and the children were taken to a relative’s house.
Terry Rutledge told the AP that his daughter-in-law “was a beautiful, young, loving mother. She was taken much too soon.”