A suspected killer has been caught by chance after he was hospitalised when he and a woman pal were hit by a single bullet accidentally fired by her three-year-old son.

Trayshaun Smith, 23, and Jalynn Artis, 21 – the boy’s mother – were both hit by the same bullet when the three-year-old got his hands on the firearm and fired the loaded gun at the family home in Lafayette, a city in the US state of Indiana.

But when police were called to investigate the shooting on 18th May, at around 8:30pm, they found Smith was wanted on a warrant from Cook County in the neighbouring US state of Illinois on an outstanding murder charge.

Lafayette Police Department (LPD) Lieutenant Justin Hartman said the investigation began when police were called to the Franciscan Health Lafayette East hospital to investigate two non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

The police have not revealed what type of firearm was used by the boy and how the child, who has not been named, managed to get hold of it.

They said they are working with the Markham Police Department in Cook County regarding Smith’s arrest. There are currently no details regarding the murder case in Illinois.

The investigation is ongoing.