Florida woman shoots 7-year-old grandson she mistook for an intruder

A 7-year-old boy in Tampa, Florida is hospitalized after his grandmother mistook him for an intruder and shot him.

The Associated Press reported that around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of shots fired.

Linda Maddox, 63, said that she and her twin grandsons were sleeping after the boys' father had gone to work for the night. Maddox had propped a chair against her bedroom door handle, she told police, for extra security.

When the woman heard someone rattling the chair as they attempted to open the door, Maddox thought it was an intruder at the door and fired one shot from a .22-caliber pistol she kept by the bed.

Her grandson Tyler Maddox was struck in the upper torso and fell to the ground screaming. Linda Maddox called 911 for help.

Paramedics took the boy to a nearby hospital where he remains in critical condition.

[image of fast-moving night ambulance via Shutterstock.com]