Florida Mother of 2-Year-Old Who Accidentally Shot and Killed Father After Finding Gun Faces Charges

A Florida woman has now been charged after her two-year-old son accidentally shot and killed his father.

Per a report from the Associated Press, 26-year-old Reggie Mabry was fatally shot in May after the two-year-old in question got a hold of a gun authorities have said was not properly stored. The shooting occurred at the residence Mabry shared with his wife Marie Ayala, who is now facing multiple charges.

In a statement shared Monday, a rep for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said both parents were “convicted felons” who shouldn’t have had access to a gun at all.

“After Mabry’s death, Ayala was arrested on charges including Manslaughter by Culpable Negligence and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon,” the rep said. “It was the couple’s five-year-old who told authorities his little brother had shot their father. Their five-month-old was also in the home.”

Per police, the child accidentally shot Mabry “in the back.” State law requires a loaded gun in a residence to be stored in a locked container and/or secured with a trigger lock if someone under the age of 16 is able to access it.

The children, per a separate report from regional outlet WESH, are now in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

“Gun owners that do not properly secure their firearms are just one split second away from one of these tragedies happening in their homes,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina told reporters.