By Kevin Hanson, The Courier-Herald

Police have finished their investigation into the apparent accidental shooting that claimed the life of an 80-year-old Enumclaw woman.

Officers and medical personnel responded at approximately 3:15 p.m. May 11 to a Lowell Avenue residence, following a 9-1-1 call made from the home. They found the woman, a longtime Enumclaw resident, with a single gunshot wound to the back. She was treated at her home, then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

She was initially listed in critical condition, according to an Enumclaw Police Department press release, but was upgraded to "stable" the following day. She was due to be released from the hospital when her condition suddenly worsened. She died Monday.

Commander Eric Sortland of the Enumclaw Police Department, said the woman's adult son accidentally discharged a .45-caliber handgun while attempting to determine if the weapon was loaded. A shot passed through a wall and the back of a chair before striking the victim. Sortland said the man does not live in town, but typically keeps personal items stored at his mother's home. The man had brought the handgun to Enumclaw the day of the incident.

Enumclaw police conducted an investigation, then forwarded the matter to the King County Prosecutor's office. The county, Sortland said, will determine if any charges will be filed.

Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@courierherald.com