Florida mother faces charges after toddler shot, killed dad

Florida mom arrested after deputies say 2-year-old boy shot and killed his father (Courtesy: Orange County Sheriff's Office)

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County woman is facing serious charges, after her two-year-old son fatally shot his father.

According to the arrest report, Marie Ayala, 28, said the loaded gun was in a bag on the floor.

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Ayala said the victim, Reggie Mabry, 26, was playing a video game when the two-year-old accidentally shot him in the back in May.

Orange County Sheriff’s deputies originally thought Mabry committed suicide. But during the investigation, one of the other young children in the family told investigators the two-year-old pulled the trigger.

Mabry was taken to a local hospital where he later died.

Ayala and Mabry are convicted felons. According to the arrest report, Ayala told deputies she and her husband are on probation for child neglect and narcotics possession charges.

The couple has two other children who were at the home as the situation unfolded.

Ayala is now behind bars and faces manslaughter charges.


About the Author:

Veronica Crespo writes for Local10.com and also oversees the Español section of the website. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism and Spanish.