The Volusia County Sheriff's Office says a single round from a handgun struck a 4-year-old girl and her mother inside a Deltona home on Sept. 19 while the father was attempting to clear the firearm before a trip to the shooting range. Both victims were conscious when deputies arrived; the child was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and the mother was taken to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital. Officials said evidence supports an accidental discharge and no charges had been filed as of the latest update. ATF guidance stresses removing the ammunition source and visually/physically checking the chamber twice; CDC data show cleaning or loading/unloading accounts for a share of unintentional firearm deaths.
Father Says Handgun Discharged While He Was Clearing It, Striking Wife and 4-Year-Old Daughter
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A single round from a handgun struck a 4-year-old girl and her mother inside their Deltona, Florida, home on Sept. 19, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office. The father told deputies the gun discharged while he was attempting to "clear" the firearm before a planned trip to the shooting range.
Incident and Emergency Response
Deputies responded to the Boxelder Street residence at about 9:50 a.m. Saturday. When officers arrived the father was carrying the injured child while the mother was inside holding a towel to a leg wound. Both victims were conscious and alert. Deputies applied tourniquets to the mother and child and placed a chest seal on the girl before emergency medical crews took over.
The child was airlifted by the sheriff's Air One helicopter to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. The mother was transported by ambulance to HCA Florida Lake Monroe Hospital.
Investigation And Official Statements
The Volusia Sheriff's Office said the father told investigators he was trying to clear the handgun — a process intended to confirm a firearm contains no ammunition — when it discharged. Deputies reported that the facts and physical evidence collected during the inquiry supported an accidental discharge. No criminal charges had been filed as of the latest update.
The sheriff's office has not publicly detailed the handgun's precise condition before the shot, whether a magazine was inserted, or the exact sequence of handling immediately before the discharge.
Safety Guidance And Context
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recommends keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and a finger off the trigger, removing the ammunition source, then opening the breech and visually and physically checking the chamber — performing that chamber check twice to be sure the firearm is empty.
National data provide context for the risks: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed unintentional firearm deaths recorded through the National Violent Death Reporting System in 2022 and found that, among incidents where circumstances were established, 8.1% occurred while a firearm was being cleaned and 3.6% during loading or unloading. In about 20% of those cases investigators concluded someone mistakenly believed the gun was unloaded.
Ongoing Questions
Authorities have not disclosed whether any safety steps were missed in the Deltona home or how the mechanical condition of the handgun may have contributed. The investigation described the shooting as accidental based on available evidence, and the department continues to review the circumstances.
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