Accidental deaths caused by improperly storing firearms are incredibly common. A lot of unfortunate incidents can happen when a child has access to a firearm.
It is very important to remember to properly store a firearm so it does not get into the wrong hands and gun safety can be practiced as well!
A mother has now been charged with manslaughter because her 2-year-old toddler got access to a firearm within his home, and accidentally shot his father in the back, which resulted in the father’s death.
The father was 26-year-old Reggie Mabry who was playing video games when the incident took place. Mabry and his 28-year-old wife Marie Ayala, were both convicted felons who were not allowed to own firearms as per law.
The couple was on probation for child neglect and narcotics charges. Ayala was charged with manslaughter, culpable negligence, and possession of a firearm by a felon. If she is convicted of manslaughter, she could face up to 15 years in jail.
Sheriff Mina, who had a look at the crime scene said, that the gun was not properly stored which meant that the children had easy access to the weapon which is how this incident happened.
It is currently unclear how the child had access to the firearm. The mother’s story as to how her child could have gained access to the gun kept changing.
Accidental deaths resulting from children using firearms are more common than one might think. Last year in 2021, there were about 163 deaths because of this.
Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action said, that these types of shootings stem from “negligence by gun owners.”
When first responders reported to the scene, they believed they were responding to suicide. But it was when they reached that they found out the facts of the death.
The family said they heard a ‘loud pop’ noise which lead Ayala to get up and out of bed to investigate. She discovered her husband bleeding on the floor. At this point, she disarmed the gun and started chest compressions.
Soon her husband was being transported to the hospital to receive medical attention. During this ride, she asked her 5-year-old how her younger child had gotten access to the gun but the shell-shocked child could not provide a coherent answer.
She kept changing her own story as to how she believed her child gained access to the gun. The arrest report stated various versions she told officials. It read: “first she said in a purple bag that was kept on the floor, then that it was in a compartment, and then that it was in a box in a closet or in a safe that was broken at the time.”
The report further noted, “She could not explain how the gun fell out of the bag, with a high capacity magazine inserted in it, all while being clipped and zipped,” which aroused the investigator’s suspicion over her story.
But she admitted to the authorities that, “any child in the room could have figured out how to get the gun out of the bag.”
Sheriff Mina believes this tragedy was completely preventable. The sheriff felt bad for the children in this unfortunate situation, saying, “Their father is dead. Their mother is in jail,” he said. “And a young child has to live their life knowing that he shot his father.”
