Mother shot by toddler 'not the least bit irresponsible'

The father-in-law of a woman accidentally shot dead with her own gun by her two-year-old son has said she was “not the least bit irresponsible”.

He said nuclear scientist Veronica Rutledge, 29, had stored the weapon in a special compartment in her bag, which was unzipped by the toddler in a Wal-Mart store in Hayden, Idaho, a rural town of about 12,000 people north east of Spokane, Washington, on Tuesday.