Grandmother accidently shot and killed overnight in Town 'n Country
TOWN 'N COUNTRY (FOX 13) - Detectives say a gun found in a storm drain was involved in the accidental shooting death of a 52-year-old grandmother early Friday morning.
It happened on Pinehurst Circle in the Town 'n Country area. Hillsborough County sheriff’s detectives said they think a teen in the home came home with the gun.
His mother took it away and removed the bullets, but she apparently missed one. She accidently pulled the trigger and killed her mother, Carolyn Wright.
In a moment of panic, detectives said one of the teens grabbed the gun, ran outside and threw it in a storm drain, where investigators later found it.
FOX 13 News reached out to the family, but they said they were too heartbroken and distraught.
Counselors with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay said cases like this can wreak havoc on families if they do not take steps to deal with guilt and grief.
Clara Reynolds said family members of Carolyn Wright should rally around the victim’s daughter, who pulled the trigger.
“I really encourage her family members keep an eye out, be supportive. If she never deals with the emotions and the feelings when it happened, it’s going to be like a runaway freight train, so she's going to be even more vulnerable and at risk,” Reynolds said.
In June, a father watched in horror as an alligator dragged his son into the water at a Disneyworld resort hotel.
Earlier this month, another tragedy at a gun range after a father accidently shot his son to death while trying to removing a bullet casing.
Reynolds said coping with tremendous grief like this takes time and a lot of community support.
Even then, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could linger, and just about anything can trigger it.
"Next time you hear a gunshot or you smell a smell, you definitely want to get as much help and support as you can," said Reynolds.
In Town ‘n Country, deputies recovered the gun and were working to figure out where it came from. So far, no arrests and no charges filed.