A 2-year-old is said to have killed his father, and now the child’s mother has been charged with manslaughter.
28-year-old Marie Ayala, of Orange County, Florida, is accused of not locking up a Glock handgun inside of her residence on May 26. She was charged with one count of manslaughter by culpable negligence.
Reggie Mabry, 26, was fatally shot, unintentionally by the toddler, as he was playing a video game. The boy’s 5-year-old brother told police that his brother had accidentally killed his father with the gun.
Florida law requires that a loaded firearm, inside of a home, be stored in a locked box/container or placed with a trigger lock if a child less than 16 years old can get to it.
In this instance, neither Ayala nor Mabry should have been in possession of a gun because both are convicted felons. At the time of the shooting, they were also on probation for child neglect and possession of narcotics, authorities say.
Ayala stated to police that the gun was fired as the couple and their three children were resting in their Orlando residence.
At first, detectives thought that Mabry had committed suicide. However, Ayala told them that it was her 2-year-old that had shot the man in his back. She added that she heard a loud popping sound and discovered her husband shot on the floor. She began CPR, but Mabry later succumbed to his injuries.
Ayala admitted that the gun had been in a bag, close to dirty laundry. She also said that it may have fallen out of the bag and stated that she knew that wasn’t safe.
Besides manslaughter, Ayala has also been charged with illegal possession of a firearm. Records indicate that she is being held on a $10,000 bond.
The couple’s three children have been placed with the Florida Department of Children and Families.
