ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando father is dead after his two-year-old son shot and killed him. The mother of the child was taken into custody on multiple charges.
Orange County Sheriff John Mina said a gun was "easily accessible" to three children living in the home.
An update to the investigation was provided Monday afternoon. The initial investigation started May 26.
Mina said deputies were dispatched to Tobie Court in east Orlando after reports of a gunshot. Upon arrival, deputies found 26-year-old Reggie Mabry suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was taken to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. Orange County Sheriff's Office homicide detectives initially believed the case was an apparent suicide, Mina said.
However, one of the children told detectives his two-year-old brother found the gun and shot his father.
Sheriff John Mina provides details on the case of a two-year-old who got a hold of his parents’ gun. The boy shot and killed his father on May 26. pic.twitter.com/stgC6yNFj5
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) June 6, 2022
“Our guns need to be secure and kept out of the hands of our children at all times," Mina said. "These young children have effectively lost both of their parents.”
The mother of the children, Marie Ayala, was taken into custody for manslaughter by culpable negligence, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and violation of probation.
Mina said both Mabry and Ayala were convicted felons and should not have been in possession of the firearm.
