7-year-old boy took gun from safe. Dad woke up with bullet in his back, Arizona cops say

Authorities believe the 7-year-old boy knew where to find the keys to unlock the safe that contained the family gun, CBS 5 reported.

The autistic child moved a dining room chair to the closet to reach the safe on Wednesday night, Prescott Valley, Arizona, police said. He then removed the gun, the news station reported.

Most of his family was sleeping. The mom was sleeping in the living room with her 2-year-old and 7-year-old sons, and the dad was sleeping on a bed, authorities said. A 13-year-old son was doing homework in his room, ABC 15 reported.

Police say the boy shot his father with the gun, the news station reported. The round went through the man’s upper chest and back, into the mattress and through a wall next to the mattress, authorities said, skipping across the floor of the living room and through an interior wall.

The bullet didn’t damage anything or anyone outside the home, police said.

The father was airlifted to a hospital in Phoenix, where he’s in an intensive care unit in stable condition, the Daily Courier reported.

The boy couldn’t give officers a reason why he shot his dad, police said, according to the newspaper. Police are describing the incident as an accidental shooting, ABC 15 reported.

“Gun safety can never be taken for granted,” said Jerry Ferguson, a spokesman for the police department. “Even when we think we’ve secured our weapons, there is more to consider than just a weapon being locked up. The gun should also have a locking device on the gun itself.”

This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 8:08 AM with the headline "7-year-old boy took gun from safe. Dad woke up with bullet in his back, Arizona cops say."