According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, two convicted felons renting a room in their east Orange County house left a loaded gun in their bedroom, which their two-year-old kid got hold of and gunned down his father.
Marie Ayala, 28, appeared in front of a judge at the Orange County Jail on Saturday.
Manslaughter, culpable negligence, and felon in possession of a handgun are among the counts she faces.
Reggie Mabry, 26, was shot in the back on May 26 inside the home on Tobie Court where he and Ayala rented a bedroom with their three children, ages 5, 2, and 5 months, according to deputies.
The entire family was in the bedroom, and Mabry was playing video games in the corner when she heard a loud bang and realized he’d been shot, Ayala informed deputies.
According to deputies, the five-year-old told them that his younger brother, who is two years old, had gotten his hands on the gun and squeezed the trigger, killing his father.
“The gun was not properly stored, and in fact, it was easily accessible even to a two-year-old, and the result is a tragedy in this community that no one can comprehend,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina said.
The children were not harmed as a result of the incident, and they are all in DCF’s custody.
The sheriff urged with gun owners to safeguard their firearms securely.
“Gun owners that do not properly secure their firearms are just one split second away from one of these tragedies happening in their homes. Now, these young children have effectively lost both of their parents,” Mina said.
If a youngster under the age of 16 has access to a loaded firearm, Florida law requires it to be kept in a locked box or secured with a trigger lock.
