2-year-old Toddler Shoots Mom Accidentally at Wal-Mart Store

A young Idaho woman was accidentally shot dead by her 2-year-old son in a Wal-Mart store on Tuesday.

Veronica Rutledge, 29 , was a  research scientist at the Idaho National Laboratory and was from Blackfoot in southeastern Idaho. She  had taken her son and other young relatives to the Hayden store's electronics department  for shopping.

Rutledge had a concealed weapon permit and her toddler, who was in a shopping cart, reached and took out her gun when it accidentally went off,  killing her.

Kootenai County sheriff's spokesman Stu Miller described the incident as a "tragic accident" to reporters at a press conference.

"Instances like this, you know I'm a big proponent of a concealed weapon for your own safety. However, you have to be responsible. Unfortunately, in this case, that just wasn't," Miller told the NBC station KHQ .

The victim's father-in-law, Terry Rutledge, told The Associated Press that Veronica Rutledge "was a beautiful, young, loving mother."

"She was not the least bit irresponsible," Terry Rutledge said. "She was taken much too soon."

The store was closed to the public for further investigation. Witnesses were being interviewed to ascertain further facts.

Brooke Buchanan, a spokeswoman for Wal-Mart, said in a statement the shooting was a "very sad and tragic accident."

"We are working closely with the local sheriff's department while they investigate what happened," Buchanan said.

Idaho law allows concealed weapons in most public places except courthouses, prisons, K-12 schools and juvenile detention facilities.