Mom Charged After 5-Year-old Accidentally Shoots Herself: Police

A 5-year-old girl was in serious condition after accidentally shooting herself in the stomach Tuesday night on Chicago’s West Side.

The girl’s mother, 22-year-old Larrinata Starks, now faces one count of misdemeanor child endangerment, Chicago Police said.

According to police, the 5-year-old accidentally shot herself at around 8 p.m. in the 3700 block of West Ferdinand Street in the East Garfield Park neighborhood. She got the gun from her mother's purse, police told the Chicago Tribune.

The girl was taken to Rush University Medical Center before being transferred to Stroger Hospital, where she was listed in serious condition, said police.

Accidental shootings injure and kill dozens of minors each year in the United States. According to a joint study by the Associated Press and USA Today, 141 minors died in unintentional shootings in 2015. The study also found that there were more than 1,000 accidental shootings involving children between Jan. 1, 2014 and June 30, 2016.

Starks is due in court on March 16, police said.

Photo: Larrinata Starks, courtesy of the Chicago Police Department