Father arrested after toddler found gun in ‘Paw Patrol’ backpack and killed mother on Zoom – By Timothy Bella (Washington Post) / Oct 13 2021
A Florida man was arrested Tuesday nearly two months after a toddler found an unsecured, loaded handgun inside a “Paw Patrol” backpack and accidentally shot and killed his mother while she was on a Zoom call with her co-workers.
Veondre Avery, the child’s 22-year-old father, faces charges in connection with the killing of Shamaya Lynn, 21, on Aug. 11 at the couple’s home in Altamonte Springs, Fla., according to the state attorney’s office for Seminole and Brevard counties.
He has been charged with manslaughter and failure to securely store a firearm. Manslaughter, a second-degree felony in Florida, is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, 15 years of probation and a $10,000 fine, according to state law.
“Your decisions have consequences, and this was just a decision that was a very poor one,” Altamonte Springs officer Roberto Ruiz Jr. said in a news conference. “You have a responsibility as a gun owner to take care of those firearms.”
A co-worker on the Aug. 11 Zoom call told the Altamonte Springs Police Department that a toddler could be seen in the background of Lynn’s Orlando-area apartment. Then there was a loud noise. She worked for the shoe company New Balance, which allowed her to work from home and be with her two sons, according to her obituary.
