Boy, 3, shoots father and pregnant mother inside US motel room

A three-year-old boy has shot his father and pregnant mother with the same bullet inside a motel room in the US state of New Mexico.

The toddler was apparently reaching for an iPod from his mother's handbag when he pulled out her 9mm handgun and accidentally fired it inside the motel in Albuquerque on Saturday afternoon, reports TV news station KOB.

The bullet passed through the father's buttock and his mother, who is eight months pregnant, in the arm.

The father, Justin Reynolds, said he and his girlfriend, Monique Villescas, were getting ready to order pizza when he heard a gun go off.

"All of a sudden we heard a gun go off and the next minute I realised my girlfriend was bleeding. Then I sat down and realised I was shot too," he said.

He called emergency services and tried to staunch his girlfriend's bleeding with towels.

Both parents were taken to hospital to treat their injuries. Mr Reynolds has since been released but Ms Villescas remains in hospital in a stable condition.

Local police said prosecutors would decide whether the parents would face negligence charges. The children have been taken into care for 48 hours.