Florida Father Charged After Toddler Finds Gun, Shoots Mom While On Zoom Video Call

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS (CBSMiami/AP) — A Florida man is now under arrest in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman by her toddler.

Veondre Avery, 22, is the father of the toddler who found a loaded handgun in his "Paw Patrol" backpack and fatally shot his mother while she was on a Zoom call for work, according to Altamonte Springs police.

Avery is charged with negligent manslaughter and unsafe storage of a firearm, said police.

Investigators said the 2-year-old found the gun in the backpack on Aug. 11 and fired a single shot that hit his mother, Shamaya Lynn, in the head.

A woman who also was on the Zoom call dialed 911, reporting that she heard a noise and saw Lynn fall. The co-worker didn't know how old Lynn was or where she lived.

Police said Avery wasn't home at the time of the shooting but arrived shortly after and also called 911, begging responders to hurry as he tried to help Lynn.

"I literally just got home and I come in the room... (and) my girlfriend who was working on the computer, she's just laid back and there's blood everywhere," Avery said on the 911 call.

He told the dispatcher that Lynn wasn't breathing, and he could not feel her heartbeat. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said another child also was in the home during the shooting.

Avery is being held without bond.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)