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John Mina (2016): "The gun was not properly locked away"
Photo: CARLO ALLEGRI/ REUTERS
A two-year-old boy shot his father with an unsecured gun in the family home in Florida.
The accident happened before the eyes of his five-year-old brother, who subsequently became the investigators' key witness, the Orange County Police Department said on Monday.
According to Sheriff John Mina, the police officers who called the emergency services at the Orlando crime scene initially assumed that the 26-year-old father had committed suicide.
However, a gunshot wound in the man's back was found in the hospital, which did not support this thesis.
The investigations at the crime scene also confirmed the description of the five-year-old, according to which his little brother triggered the gun.
In addition to the two boys and a five-month-old baby, the mother of the children was at home at the time, according to the police.
When emergency services arrived, she was reportedly trying to revive her husband.
»100 percent avoidable«
"The gun wasn't properly locked away," Mina said at a news conference.
"In fact, she was easily accessible, even for a two-year-old, and the result is a tragedy that no one in our community can really fathom."
The incident happened on May 26, but due to the difficult investigation, the police only now informed the public.
Accordingly, both parents were subject to probation conditions for child neglect and drug offenses.
The mother was arrested and now has to answer for negligent homicide, illegal possession of a weapon and violating the terms of probation, among other things.
"Now these young children have effectively lost both parents," said Sheriff Mina.
'Her father is dead, her mother is in prison.
And a young kid must grow up knowing he shot his father.
These tragedies are 100 percent preventable.«
wit/dpa
