NEED TO KNOW
- A Florida man and woman have been arrested after their 4-year-old twins were allegedly shot with a handgun they found inside their home
- The boys reportedly found the gun under a couch cushion
- 39-year-old Keishara B. Goodrum, has been charged with two counts of child neglect, and 40-year-old Maurice Wayne Bright Jr. was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
A man and a woman have been arrested in Florida after their 4-year-old twins were allegedly shot with a handgun that they found inside their home.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said that the shooting occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, Nov. 8, when deputies were reportedly called to respond to reports of two four year old boys with gunshot wounds, according to Fox35. Prior to that, police say that 39-year-old Keishara B. Goodrum heard what she believed to be a gunshot before finding one of the children with a gunshot wound near their arm.
Goodrum allegedly said that she had been drinking the night before, the sheriff’s office said in an arrest affidavit, and was making breakfast in the kitchen when she heard a loud “pop,” NBC News reported. The children’s father, 40-year-old Maurice Wayne Bright Jr., told police that he was outside cooking when he heard a “commotion,” and rushed inside the home, the outlet reported.
Goodrum and Bright then drove the children to a local hospital for treatment, as they traveled, the parents told police the second child had sustained a gunshot wound. Both children are still hospitalized at Arnold Palmer Hospital, where they are in “critical condition but are stable and recovering,” per WFTV.
Police say that Goodrum told them that it was possible she “forgot to secure her gun from the night before,” and that she may have left it underneath a couch cushion where it could be found by the children, Fox35 reported.
There were 3 other children in the home at the time of the shooting, per NBC News.
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Goodrum and Bright were both arrested and booked into the Orange County Jail on Nov. 9, according to jail records viewed by PEOPLE. Goodrum faces two counts of child neglect with great bodily harm, and Bright was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Both are being held on $10,000 bond, per WFTV.
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Florida state law requires parents with children under the age of 16 in the home to keep handguns secured, according to the Florida Sheriffs Association. Under the statute, parents are required to keep firearms in a “locked container or secured with a trigger lock to prevent unauthorized use.”
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“If a minor does gain access to an unsecured firearm, the owner may face criminal charges if the firearm is discharged, causing harm,” the organization shared in a 2024 blog post. “This law is designed to promote responsible gun ownership and protect minors from accidental firearm injuries.”
Orange County Sheriffs Department deputies told WFTV that the state’s Department of Children and Families is “involved” in the children’s care, but that Bright could maintain custody of the children if he posts bond to get out of jail.
For more information on safe firearm storage and the most effective ways to protect children from unsecured firearms, visit BeSMARTforkids.org.
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