Authorities say the child found his father’s handgun inside their vehicle while the father was trying to resolve a payment problem.
BARTOW, FL — A 3-year-old boy died Thursday after authorities say he picked up his father’s handgun inside a vehicle at a Burger King in Bartow and accidentally fired it, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting happened shortly before 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at the restaurant in the 100 block of East Van Fleet Drive. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the boy and his father had gone through the drive-thru to buy dinner when the father had trouble using a credit card. Investigators believe the father then parked the vehicle while trying to resolve the payment problem.
Judd said the father had been carrying a Glock handgun at his waist. As he leaned over inside the vehicle, the gun became uncomfortable, and he removed it and placed it somewhere inside the vehicle. Authorities said the boy, who was in the back seat, apparently found the firearm while his father was focused on the credit card issue.
Investigators believe the child picked up the handgun and was handling it when it discharged. The father heard the gunshot and immediately got out of the vehicle, authorities said. Surveillance video reviewed by investigators also showed a woman in a nearby vehicle getting out and calling 911.
Emergency crews took the boy to Lakeland Regional Health, where he was pronounced dead. Judd said the child was four days away from his fourth birthday. Authorities have not publicly released the boy’s name.
Judd described the death as a tragedy and said investigators were still reviewing the circumstances surrounding the shooting. “This is a horrible tragedy,” the sheriff said. Bartow police and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office were involved in the investigation.
Authorities initially received information describing the child as 4 years old, but officials later clarified that he was 3. Investigators said the family had moved to Florida from Connecticut several months earlier. No evidence released by authorities indicated that another person fired the gun.
No arrests had been made as of the latest reports. Judd said the sheriff’s office was not recommending criminal charges based on the information investigators had gathered, but the circumstances were being referred to the State Attorney’s Office for review. Florida law includes provisions addressing culpable negligence involving a loaded firearm that is left within a minor’s reach, though prosecutors would have to determine whether the facts of this case meet the legal requirements for any charge.
The investigation remains under review, and authorities have not announced any charges. The State Attorney’s Office is expected to evaluate the evidence and determine whether further legal action is warranted.
Author note: Last updated October 24, 2026.