A Wilkeson child was accidentally shot earlier this month while his family was attempting to avoid contact with coyotes.

On Oct. 14, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department deputies were dispatched around 8:15 p.m. to the Wilkeson fire station following a call from a mother saying she accidentally shot her 9 year-old son with a .22 caliber rifle while they were at East Lake.

The mother was driving to the fire station during the call, said Detective Ed Troyer, who was one of the reporting deputies.

When troopers arrived, the child was already receiving medical care.

According to the police report, the mother, her boyfriend, and two young boys were at East Lake for an afternoon barbecue, and heard a pack of coyotes near where they had set up later that evening.

“[The adults] were scared by how close the coyotes were and decided to leave” and began loading their vehicle, Troyer’s report stated. “While loading the car, [the mother] grabbed the rifle and threw it into the back storage area of the vehicle. [She] heard the rifle discharge and [the son] began screaming.”

The son was shot in the lower back; the mother applied pressure to the wound until the boyfriend started the car.

They started driving to the fire station because they were concerned about how long it would take an ambulance to get to their location, the report reads.

According to Troyer, both the mother and her boyfriend smelled of alcohol when they were interviewed.

As of last weekend, the child is expected to make a full recovery, Troyer said.

The case has yet to be forwarded to the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office to determine charges, if any, will be made, the department said.

The Courier-Herald does not release names until charging papers are filed.

CORRECTION: The print version of this article stated the case was forwarded to the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, according to Troyer. However, the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said Monday, Oct, 22, they had not received the case to review.