ORLANDO, Fla. – Twin 4-year-old boys were shot and critically wounded Saturday inside their Orange County home, resulting in the arrest of their parents, according to sheriff’s officials.
The shooting was reported around 2 p.m. after the shooting took place at a home in the 8300 block of Calais Circle, northeast of Lake Underhill Drive and Chickasaw Trail, east of the city of Orlando.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to AdventHealth East for a report of two boys suffering from gunshot wounds.
Deputies said the boys were taken to the hospital by their parents, both of whom were arrested.
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The mother, Keishara B. Goodrum, 39, was arrested on two counts of child neglect with great bodily harm. The father, Maurice Wayne Bright Jr., 40, was arrested on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Both were later released from jail after posting bond.
According to an arrest affidavit, the parents said they did not witness the shooting but heard a loud “pop” inside the house. The affidavit did not state who fired the gun.
Goodrum said she saw one of the boys lift his arm and noticed a wound, the affidavit stated. Bright rushed inside the home and also saw his son suffering from a wound, officials said.
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The parents rushed the boys to a hospital and noticed “large amount of blood on (the other twin’s) shirt” and “concluded that he was also injured,” the affidavit stated.
According to sheriff’s officials, Goodrum was consuming “large amounts of alcohol” on Friday night and left her gun on the couch.
She went to buy groceries Saturday morning, returned home and began making breakfast for her five children while her Bright was on the back porch preparing a meal on the grill when they heard the “pop,” according to authorities.
In an interview with detectives, Goodrum later stated that the boys had access to gun because she left it on couch, the affidavit stated.
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She said Bright, a convicted felon, was aware that she had three firearms in the home, and he had held them on previous occasions, according to authorities.
The parents were then arrested, officials said.
When News 6 checked Goodrum’s criminal docket late Monday, we found that authorities have added a new charge: two counts of storing or leaving a loaded firearm within the reach or easy access of a minor, a third-degree felony.
Both children were later transferred to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital and were in critical but stable condition as of Monday, officials said.
Neighbors told News 6 they were appalled to hear what unfolded.
“It’s horrible that a mother or father would leave a gun laying around with any age of any children,” Elba Santos said. “It’s terrible.”
Santos said she heard about the incident from her family, who are in law enforcement.
“We own a gun,” Santos said. “But you put it in a safe. You keep it safe. You keep it away from children.”
While outside the house in question, News 6 observed an older woman sitting on the patio, but she said she did not want to speak to reporters.
News 6 has reached out to the Florida Department of Children and Families to inquire about the future care of all five children in the house.