Victim’s wife arrested after 2-year-old allegedly fatally shoots father
06/07/2022 9:30 am PDT
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (TCD) -- A woman was arrested after a 2-year-old boy allegedly shot and killed his father late last month.
According to a press conference held by the Orange County Sheriff's Office, on May 26, deputies responded to a home on Tobie Court to a report of a shooting. At the scene, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said 26-year-old Reggie Mabry was located on the ground suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. His wife, Marie Ayala, was reportedly performing CPR on him until first responders transported Mabry to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.
Investigators initially believed the incident was a suicide, but Mina said they learned Mabry had been shot in the back.
There were allegedly three children in the home at the time of the incident –– ages 5, 2, and 5 months old –– though they were unharmed. The 5-year-old told authorities his 2-year-old brother was the one who shot their father, according to Mina.
Mabry and Ayala had reportedly left an illegal firearm in the room they shared with their young children, though they were both convicted felons who were on probation for child neglect and for narcotics.
The arrest warrant obtained by WKMG-TV alleges that Mabry was playing a computer video game when the gun was fired.
The parents allegedly left the firearm in a bag where the children were, and Ayala was in the room when the shooting occurred.
According to Mina, Ayala was arrested and charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, and violation of probation.
In a statement, Mina said, "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 added, "Their father is dead, and their mother is in jail, and a young child has to live their life knowing that he shot his father. These tragedies are 100% preventable."
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