Child shoots mother through the seat of her car after accessing unsecured shotgun

Mother's children are all placed in custody of local Department of Children and Family Services after accidental shooting

A child in California accidentally shot their mother through the seat of her car after accessing an unsecured shotgun, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says.

A department statement sent to The Independent says the shooting happened Wednesday in the Los Angeles suburb of Norwalk.

The mother was wounded in the torso and was taken to a hospital, where she was in fair condition.

“Preliminary information gathered at the scene revealed that the female’s three children were in the backseat of the vehicle when one of the children accessed an unsecured shotgun and shot her through the back of the seat,” the statement read. “All four children are currently in the custody of Department of Children and Family Services.”

Another woman and a child in the front passenger seat were not hurt.

The Sheriff's Department says all four children were placed in the custody of the county Department of Children and Family Services.

In its statement, the sheriff’s department warned of the threat of unsecured weapons, writing, “It’s it’s not secure, it’s not safe.”

The child's age was not disclosed. A department spokesperson declined to provide further information.

The incident was just the latest accidental shooting to draw national attention. Earlier this month, officials identified two teens in Georgia who were killed with a mishandled gun on New Year’s Eve.

Detectives said one of the teens was showing his friends a handgun when he accidentally fired a shot, striking another teen who died at the scene.

The teenager who accidentally fired the shot then ran away and turned the gun on himself.

Additional reporting by AP