MIRAMAR, Fla. – A woman was shot and killed at an apartment complex in Miramar on Wednesday night, and her 2½-year-old son's father told police that the child pulled the trigger.
According to detectives, the shooting happened just after 7 p.m. at the Ashlar complex in the 8200 block of Sherman Circle North. Police were already in the area on another call when the shot rang out.
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A man called 911, saying his toddler had pulled the trigger on a gun, killing the child's mother.
Abel Hernandez told WPLG-TV that he and a group of neighbors were outside the apartment complex looking for a missing boy. Police were also helping with the search.
"That's when we heard the gunshot," Hernandez said. "The cops started running, and we saw the dad coming out with the little kid."
Police went to an apartment, where they found a woman dead. Police identified her as Julia Bennett, 33.
Police interviewed the child and his father.
"We're not going to speculate at the moment as to say what exactly took place," said Tania Rues, of the Miramar Police Department. "What we are saying is that this is the 911 call that we received stating that the toddler shot the mother. We're talking about a 2½-year-old boy. It's still an ongoing investigation."
Residents at the Miramar apartment complex said they do not believe that a toddler fatally shot his own mother.
"(It) seems almost impossible. You know how kids can get a hold of guns and all, but it seems unlikely," said neighbor Cathy Bryant.
Those who knew her said Bennett was a surgical technician at North Shore Medical Center in Miami. Bryant said she saw Bennett every morning, putting her son into her car as she left for work.
Neighbor Naomi Williams said the child appeared playful when she saw him in the arms of police.
"He didn't know anything. They took him right here under this tree, and they swabbed his mouth, and they were checking for gunpowder," Williams said.
Bennett's ex-boyfriend said he had to tell their 14-year-old daughter that her mother was dead. He summed up the case by saying, "It's impossible."
Police have not named any other suspects. No arrests have been made.
The owner of the 9 mm Glock, the boy's father, has a concealed weapons permit, according to investigators. Police said he was visiting Bennett and did not live with her.
Investigators are running ballistics tests to determine how the shots were fired.
The boy was unharmed and was placed in protective custody with the Department of Children and Families. A DCF hearing regarding the child is scheduled for Friday.
The investigation into what happened continues.