Florida grandma mistakes grandson for intruder, shoots him

TOWN 'N' COUNTRY, Fla., Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A Florida grandmother accidentally shot her 7-year-old grandson after mistaking him for an intruder Monday morning.

Linda Maddox, 63, was asleep at home alone with her twin grandsons in Town 'n' Country, near Tampa, while the boys' father went to work Sunday night.

Maddox had placed a chair against the bedroom door handle for extra protection. When she awoke around 1 a.m. to the sound of the chair scraping on the wood floor, she grabbed the loaded .22-caliber revolver she keeps by the bed and fired off a shot.

Seconds later, Maddox realized her mistake: Instead of a would-be burglar, she had shot her grandson, Tyler.

Tyler was transported to St. Joseph's hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition, Hillsborough County Sheriffs said.

The shooting is under investigation.