NORWALK, OHIO: Police officers responded to a 911 call around 1.11 pm on June 16, and rushed to a home in Norwalk, Ohio, after a pregnant woman Laura Ilg, 31, contacted dispatchers and said that her two-year-old son accidentally shot her in the back after coming across a gun placed in her nightstand.
Officers said that Laura made a “frantic call” to contact authorities after being shot and provided a “complete account” of the incident after dispatchers arrived at the scene. The woman was immediately rushed to the nearby Fisher-Titus Medical Center, where she underwent an emergency caesarean section. Unfortunately, doctors failed to save the baby and Laura died nearly three hours after the surgery.
Laura Ilg was ‘fully conscious’ after the accidental shooting
Following the accidental shooting, Laura called her marine husband, Alek Ilg, who was at work during the incident, before contacting officers via 911. Alek also called dispatchers and said that he “received a phone call from his wife ‘screaming something about my son and needing to call 911’,” officers said in a statement. Laura made multiple 911 calls and informed she had been accidentally shot in the back by her toddler, then went into shock and couldn't breathe.
“She explained she was 33 weeks pregnant, and her 2-year-old just accidentally shot her in the back,” Police Chief Dave Smith told the press. After arriving at Laura’s residence, cops had to make a forced entry into the house as the main door was locked. Upon their arrival, officers found Laura and her son upstairs in the master bedroom. Authorities also said that the woman was “fully conscious” and provided a “'complete account of the events that occurred,” as reported by Daily Mail. Laura also explained that she was 33 weeks pregnant before requesting officers to remove her two-year-old from the bedroom. Shortly after, removing the toddler, paramedics performed desperate lifesaving procedures on the woman. However, she succumbed to the gunshot wound hours after being taken to a nearby hospital.
‘Uncomfortable and in shock’
Smith said in a statement that Laura was “uncomfortable and in shock” after being accidentally shot by her toddler son but “calm enough” to share the details of the shooting. She said that the firearm used in the shooting was usually kept on the nightstand beside Laura and her husband’s bed but the room is mostly kept locked and baby gates are set up throughout the home to prevent the toddler from reaching the weapon.
However, several baby gates and the bedroom door were accidentally left open on the day of the tragic incident. Laura mentioned that she believed her son bypassed the gates and began playing with the gun while she was doing laundry before accidentally firing a gunshot at her back. She also said to not have imagined that a two-year-old would be able to grab the gun let alone pull the trigger. Laura’s husband and the toddler’s father, Alek, later confirmed to police that the firearm belonged to him.
