A mother was charged in the death of her husband after their 2-year-old son fatally shoot him in the back with a loaded gun kept in the house.
Marie Ayala, 26, was charged with one count of manslaughter by culpable negligence after failing to properly secure a Glock handgun that the boy is believed to have shot his father with while he was playing a video game, according to an arrest affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The boy’s 5-year-old brother told authorities that his sibling accidentally fired the gun, the affidavit says.
“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 told reporters, according to NBC affiliate WESH.
In a statement, the department added: “The children were not injured physically, but they will likely carry emotional wounds forever. Not only have they effectively lost both parents, but the toddler who accidentally shot his father in the back will also have to grow up with the knowledge that his actions caused his dad’s death. If you own a gun, always be responsible.”
Ayala told investigators that the couple and their three children — including an infant — were in the bedroom of their Orlando home on May 26 when the gun went off and a bullet struck her husband, Reggie Mabry, the affidavit says.
