SALISBURY — A 24-year-old father of two young children was playing with them on the floor of their home Friday night when the two-year-old reportedly pulled the dad’s gun from his hip holster and shot his father.

Rowan County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call on Westerman Loop at 6:35 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, for an accidental shooting. According to reports, the father had a Taurus .357 Magnum in a hip holster and was on the floor playing with his two-year-old and his eight-month-old. The two-year-old managed to pull the gun out and shoot dad in the backside. The bullet went through, exiting the front of the man’s body.

The victim was airlifted to Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte. His current condition is not known but he was conscious and talking when he was taken to the hospital. The Department of Social Services has been notified and the incident remains an open investigation.