On 8 March 2016, 31-year-old Jamie Gilt was apparently shot in the back by her young son as she drove in Palatka, Florida. WTLV reported that Gilt was on her way to pick up a horse when the shooting occurred, and that it was unclear how the child got ahold of the gun:

Jamie Gilt, 31, of Jacksonville, was found shot in the driver’s seat of a truck near where State Road 20 and Rowland Avenue meet about 3 p.m. by a deputy stopping to check on the vehicle, which was partially in the roadway, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office. Gilt motioned for help and told investigators her son had accidentally shot her. Deputies say evidence found at the scene confirmed that the young boy, who had been sitting in the back seat, was the one who pulled the trigger.

The outlet confirmed that Gilt was in stable condition following the incident and that her son was placed in the care of family members, adding:

Florida Statute makes it a misdemeanor for a person to store or leave, one a premise under his or her control, a loaded firearm in such a manner that it is likely a child can gain access to the firearm. The state Department of Children and Families has been notified.

Captain Joseph Wells with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department said the incident was under investigation, but that Gilt’s son wasn’t strapped into his booster seat when officers arrived on the scene:

“She was shot through the seat and the round went through her back,” Wells said of the bullet that went through Gilt’s body. “There was a booster seat in the back of the vehicle, but however the boy was not strapped in when the deputy got to them,” Wells said. He said investigators are trying to determine whether the child was fastened to the booster seat at the time of the shooting.

A personal Facebook page for a Jamie Gilt from Palatka, Florida featured several photographs of a woman often posing with guns, her young son, or horses. Gilt’s timeline featured memes and political content, often relating to gun rights:

Images on that page appeared to show the same woman behind the Facebook page “Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense.” Gilt described the page’s purpose:

This is a page to connect people that share a common goal. That goal is to protect and expand our 2nd Ammendment rights.

A post not long before the shooting claimed that a lack of guns posed a risk to citizens. Other content shared before the page went offline had a similar tone:



In a 7 March 2016 comment (archived by social media users), Gilt referenced her toddler’s affinity for firearms:

Wells said that authorities didn’t class the incident as a criminal shooting, but were investigating the circumstances under which the child obtained the weapon. Gilt is expected to survive.