ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — In early August, police in central Florida discovered a young mother died after her toddler found a loaded gun in their apartment. Now, authorities have arrested the child's father in connection to the incident.
According to the Seminole-Brevard State Attorney's Office, Veondre Avery, 22, was taken into custody on Tuesday and formally charged with manslaughter and failure to securely store a firearm.
Shamaya Lynn, 21, was on a Zoom call for work on Aug. 11 in her Altamonte Springs apartment when a person on the call told police that they saw a toddler in the background and heard a noise. The person added that Lynn fell backward and never returned.
Officers responded to the apartment after receiving a 911 call from one of the Zoom participants, but their aid was not enough to save the young mother's life.
It was determined by police that Lynn was shot in the head by her toddler who found a loaded handgun left unsecured in the apartment.
According to investigators, the gun belonged to Avery and was left loaded in the child's "Paw Patrol" backpack on the floor of the bedroom.
Avery is currently being held at the Seminole County Jail with no bond.
