A 2-yr-old boy accidentally shot his father in Florida after his parents left a loaded gun unattended, local authorities announce.
Police officers arrived at the victim’s home near Orlando on May 26 and found the boy’s mother, Marie Ayala, resuscitating her husband, Reggie Mabry.
Police initially believed the 26-yr-old, who died in hospital a short time later, had committed suicide, but the eldest of the couple’s three children later told investigators the his 2-yr-old brother accidentally shot his father, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said during a press conference.
The gun was in a bag the boys’ father had left on the floor, and the toddler tripped over it and shot his father in the back while he was playing a video game on a computer, court documents show.
All five family members, including a five-month-old girl, were in the same room at the time of the incident.
“Gun owners that do not properly secure their firearms are just one split second away from one of these tragedies happening in their homes,” Mr Mina said.
“Now these young children have effectively lost both of their parents. Their father is dead. Their mother is in jail, and a young child has to live their life knowing that he shot his father,” the sheriff added.
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