Toddler shot in face when gun stashed in mom’s purse goes off while waiting at hospital

A child was shot in the face at a Mississippi hospital after a gun went off inside her mother's purse.

The 2-year-old girl was waiting Wednesday morning with her mother in the emergency room at Merit Health Central Hospital in Jackson when she was wounded, reported The Clarion-Ledger.

Police said the woman dropped her purse while standing near a vending machine, which caused the handgun to discharge.

A bullet ricocheted off the vending machine and grazed the girl's face on the right side, authorities said.

The girl's injuries are believed to be non-life-threatening.

It's not clear why the girl and her mother were already at the hospital emergency room when the child was shot.

The shooting remains under investigation.