Idaho: Two-year-old boy shoots and kills his mother in Wal-Mart store

A young mother who was accidentally shot dead by her two-year-old son in a US supermarket after he reached into her purse and fired a concealed handgun, has been named by authorities.

Veronica Rutledge, 29, was shopping in the Walmart store in Hayden, Idaho, with the two-year-old and her three daughters when she was tragically shot by the toddler. She died before emergency services got to the scene, according to police.

The store's CCTV showed how the young boy was able to reach into his mother's purse, having been placed in the child-seat of a shopping trolley, which led to the accidental shooting.

A Walmart spokeswoman said in a statement: "A very sad incident occurred at our store today in Hayden involving the death of a female customer. We are working with the Kootenai Sheriff's department as they investigate what happened."

Rutledge was from Blackfoot in southeastern Idaho, and her family had come to the area to visit relatives.

She had a concealed weapons permit.