Veronica Rutledge, 29, remembered by friends and family as a ‘beautiful, young, loving mother’ after she was killed in a shooting accident at Idaho Walmart

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The woman who was accidentally shot dead by her two-year-old son in an Idaho Walmart is described by those who knew her as a gun lover, a motivated academic and a successful nuclear research scientist.

“She was a beautiful, young, loving mother who was taken much too soon,” Veronica Rutledge’s father-in-law, Terry Rutledge, told the Spokesman-Review. “She was out on what was supposed to be a fun-filled day with her son and nieces.”

Rutledge was shot at about 10.20am on Tuesday, in the electronics department of the Hayden, Idaho, Walmart. Kootenai County sheriffs said her son, sitting in the front of a shopping cart, reached into Rutledge’s purse, found her weapon and shot his mother.

“I mean, this is a pretty tragic incident right now that we’re dealing with,” Kootenai lieutenant Stu Miller told reporters on Tuesday. “When you have young children, small people, holiday season – it’s not a pleasant experience.”

While shopping with her son and nieces in the store, Rutledge carried a loaded small-caliber handgun zippered in a pocket in her purse. The purse was a Christmas gift from her husband, Colt Rutledge, one designed specifically for concealed carry, the Washington Post reported.

Veronica Rutledge. Photograph: Facebook

“All the precautionary measures weren’t taken to ensure the safety of that weapon,” Miller said later.

Despite Miller’s comment, the Rutledges were reportedly experienced gun owners and shooters. Rutledge had a concealed carry permit, police said. She loved to hunt, shoot and camp, friends and family told the Washington Post.

“I think there is an attitude that we’re just a bunch of gunslingers, and that is not the case,” the mayor of her hometown told the Guardian.

“People do not overtly carry weapons all the time,” Blackfoot mayor Paul Loomis said. “My expectation whenever I meet somebody on the street is they might be packing, but that doesn’t cause me to pause or be concerned for me or the safety of our citizens.”

Rutledge was born Veronica Hendricks. She was valedictorian of her graduating class at Kootenai high school in 2004. Kootenai high is tiny – just 27 students graduated last year and 91 were enrolled in 2013. The whole district, in northern Idaho, had only 17 teachers district-wide.

Hendricks attended Northern Idaho College, married Rutledge in 2009 and graduated from the University of Idaho in 2010, majoring in chemistry.

She went on to become a nuclear research scientist working for Battelle’s Idaho National Laboratory, which claims to be the Department of Energy’s lead nuclear research laboratory. The lab has worked with the Department of Defense on armor and weaponry since the 1990s. Rutledge wrote several papers there, on topics such as nuclear waste and fuel processing.

Loomis said he had worked with Rutledge on an Idaho National Laboratory contract, while at his previous job at a manufacturing company.

“She was very competent,” said Loomis. “This is not somebody that is just a nut, let me tell you.”

Her interests and hobbies seemed to fit well into the state and city where she lived. Blackfoot, where Rutledge owned a home with her husband, is a small town where the Idaho National Laboratory is a major employer.

About 12,000 people live in Blackfoot, a city that bills itself as the “potato capital of the world”. Idaho, a largely rural state, has about 1.6 million residents, just more than the city of Philadelphia.

Being outdoors, even when weather in east Idaho is harsh, is a large part of life in Blackfoot, Loomis said.

“I think this morning when I got up it was 10 below [zero],” said Loomis. “So, it’s a hardy group.”

And the state also took pains to expand gun rights in recent years. This year, the legislature passed a law allowing concealed guns onto public college and university campuses, despite opposition from all eight of the state’s university presidents, the Idaho Statesman reported.

“Our concern is not a political concern about gun control,” said Loomis. “Our concern right now is for the welfare of that family.”