Florida woman shoots grandson, 7, after mistaking him for intruder

TAMPA Fla. (Reuters) - A 7-year-old Florida boy was in critical but stable condition on Tuesday after being shot by his grandmother, who mistakenly thought he was an intruder, sheriff's officials said. Linda Maddox, 63, was asleep with her twin grandsons in Tampa after the boys' father had gone to work, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. Just before 1 a.m. EST, she heard a chair that she had put against the bedroom door handle for extra protection sliding on the wood floor. Thinking it was an intruder, she fired a shot in the dark from a .22-caliber revolver she kept by the bed, authorities said. "Seconds after firing, she heard the screams of her grandson, Tyler," the sheriff's office said in statement. The child was hit in the upper body and was taken to a hospital for treatment. (Reporting by Letitia Stein; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Bill Trott)