A toddler in Altamonte Springs, Fla., shot and killed their mother after getting a hold of an unsecured loaded gun, said local police.
The 21-year-old woman, identified as Shamaya Lynn, was engaging in a Zoom work call at the time and the other participants on the call saw the whole incident unfold.
Lynn was on the conference call Wednesday when a loud bang rang out. According to Altamonte Springs police, Lynn fell backward in her chair and a toddler stood in the background.
When Lynn never returned to the Zoom call, a participant called 911.
“Officers and paramedics did their best in rendering aid to Mrs. Lynn, but she was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head,” read the police statement. “Investigators determined that the injury was caused by a toddler who found a loaded handgun, which was left unsecured by an adult in the apartment.”
While the police didn’t clarify the relationship between the child and adult, NBC affiliate WESH reported that the victim was the child’s mother. WESH said the gun belonged to the child’s father, who also lived in the home.
The toddler who shot the gun was one of Lynn and the man’s two young children, reported WESH, and neither child was hurt in the incident. Both of them are now under the care of close relatives.
An investigation is ongoing, and detectives are trying to discern if any charges will be laid against the man who owned the firearm.
“If you own a firearm, please keep it locked and secured,” local police officer Roberto Ruiz Jr. said. “Incidents like this could be avoided.”
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