A man and a woman have been arrested in Florida after their 4-year-old twins were allegedly shot with a firearm they discovered inside their home.
According to Fox35, deputies were summoned to react to allegations of two four-year-old boys with gunshot wounds in the early morning hours of Saturday, Nov. 8. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the shooting. Prior to that, authorities say 39-year-old Keishara B. Goodrum heard what she thought was a gunshot and saw one of the children with a gunshot wound around their arm.
According to an arrest document from the sheriff’s office, Goodrum claimed to have been drinking the night before and was making breakfast in the kitchen when she heard a loud “pop,” NBC News said. The children’s father, 40-year-old Maurice Wayne Bright Jr., told authorities that he was outside cooking when he heard a “commotion” and ran inside, according to the station.
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Goodrum and Bright then transported the children to a local hospital for treatment; as they drove, the parents informed authorities that the second child had sustained a gunshot wound. According to WFTV, both children are still hospitalized at Arnold Palmer Hospital and are in “critical condition but stable and recovering.”
Goodrum told police that she “forgot to secure her gun from the night before,” and that she may have left it below a couch cushion where the children might find it, according to Fox 35.
According to NBC News, there were three other children in the home when the incident occurred.
Goodrum and Bright were arrested and lodged into the Orange County Jail on November 9, according to jail documents obtained by PEOPLE. Goodrum is charged with two charges of child neglect with serious bodily damage, while Bright is accused of possessing a firearm by a felon. Both are being jailed on a $10,000 bail, according to WFTV.
According to the Florida Sheriffs Association, state law requires parents with children under the age of 16 to keep pistols protected in the home. The regulation requires parents to store weapons in a “locked container or secured with a trigger lock to prevent unauthorized use.”
“If a minor gains access to an unsecured firearm, the owner may face criminal charges if the firearm is discharged, resulting in harm,” the organization stated in a 2024 blog post. “This law is designed to promote responsible gun ownership and protect minors from accidental firearm injuries.”
Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies told WFTV that the state’s Department of Children and Families is “involved” in the children’s care, but Bright might keep custody if he posts bond to get out of jail.
