Miller woman hurt in Walmart gun accident

A Miller woman was injured when her gun went off accidentally in the Mt. Vernon Walmart, striking her in the ankle.
According to information provided by Chief David Hubert, of the Mt. Vernon Police Department, Susan Taylor was checking out at the Mt. Vernon Wal-Mart on the afternoon of Tuesday, Dec, 4, when her purse fell. A firearm inside her purse, a loaded .38-caliber Derringer, fired.
“She was at register seven and was getting ready to pay for her items, when she dropped her purse,” he said. “I guess she had a loaded firearm in the purse and it discharged, striking her in the ankle.”
Hubert said a Mt. Vernon police officer provided first aid by using a belt as a tourniquet to stem bleeding in Taylor’s ankle until paramedics arrived. Hubert said that after they applied further first aid, Taylor was taken to Cox Hospital.
Hubert described the accident as “preventable.”
“(I suggest) not having a loaded firearm in the purse, or if it is in your purse, keep it unloaded or the safety on. It definitely could have been prevented for sure,” he said. “This is a wakeup call for people to be aware that loaded firearms in purses may not be a good idea.”
Attempts to reach Taylor for comment were unsuccessful as of press time.