The father of a toddler who shot his mom dead at their Florida home while she was on a Zoom work call has been charged in the case.
Veondre Avery, 22, faces charges of negligent manslaughter and unsafe storage of a firearm after his 2-year-old son found his handgun and shot the 21-year-old mother, Shamaya Lynn, in the head on August 11, the Seminole-Brevard State Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
The baby found Avery’s firearm inside a child’s “Paw Patrol” backpack on the couple’s bedroom floor, according to prosecutors.
Horrified participants in the Zoom conference call witnessed the shooting live and one of Lynn’s colleagues called 911.
The colleague told police that they “saw a toddler in the background and heard a noise” just before Lynn fell backwards and off the screen.
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Avery was not in the home at the time but arrived there shortly afterwards and also called 911.
“I literally just got home. And I come in the room and my girlfriend, she was working on the computer, she’s just laid back. There’s blood everywhere!” he said on the emergency call.
“Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on now, hurry, please hurry! Please! I don’t know what happened, I just went in the house. I just came through the door!” Avery continued.
When officers and paramedics arrived at the address in Alamonte Springs, just outside Orlando, they tried to render the mom aid, but she ultimately died from a gunshot wound to the head.
“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,” Altamonte Springs police said at the time.
Avery was arrested Tuesday and is being held at the Seminole County jail without bond.