2-Year-Old FL Toddler Fatally Shoots Father After Finding Gun: Sheriff

Orlando FL

07 June, 2022

12:02 PM

Description

ORANGE COUNTY, FL — A man is dead and his wife is in jail after deputies said the couple's 2-year-old toddler got a hold of a gun in their house in Orange County and pulled the trigger. "Tragedies like this are almost incomprehensible, and they are 100 percent preventable. Make sure you know how to safely store your guns," the Orange County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. In this case, deputies said the toddler's deceased father, Reggie Mabry, 26, should not have even had a gun. He and his wife, Marie Ayala, 28, are convicted felons. According to Sheriff John Mina, Mabry was shot in the back May 26 while playing a video game. After his death, deputies said Ayala was arrested and charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Marie Ayala (Credit: Orange County Sheriff's Office) Deputies said it was the couple's 5-year-old son who told authorities his little brother had shot their father. The couple's 5-month-old was also in the home. "The children were not injured physically, but they will likely carry emotional wounds forever. Not only have they effectively lost both parents, the toddler who accidentally shot his father in the back will have to grow up with the knowledge that his actions caused his dad's death," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "If you own a gun, always be responsible. Take the extra steps to secure it properly and keep you and your family safe." Sheriff John Mina discusses toddler shooting: According to the sheriff's office, both Ayala and Mabry had been on probation for child neglect and narcotics possession.