Overview
- A 3-year-old boy died after he shot himself inside a vehicle at the Burger King drive‑thru in Bartow when a handgun discharged, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
- Deputies say the boy grabbed a Glock that his father had removed from his waistband and placed on the car seat while distracted trying to fix a declined payment at the drive‑thru.
- A bystander called 911 after hearing the shot and first responders took the child to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at about 7:30 p.m.
- Detectives forwarded investigative materials to the State Attorney’s Office for a charging decision and Sheriff Grady Judd said he currently has 'no energy' for recommending criminal prosecution; prosecutors will review the case and applicable culpable‑negligence law.
- The family had moved from Connecticut about four months earlier and deputies said the child was days away from his fourth birthday, a detail officials used to describe the human toll of the incident.