Florida authorities arrested the parents of a pair of four-year-old twins after the children suffered gunshot wounds when they shot themselves with a loaded gun that their mother forgot to secure after a night of drinking.
The suspects were identified as 39-year-old Keishara Goodrum and 40-year-old Maurice Wayne Bright Jr. Officials arrested the couple on Saturday after their twins were found to have shot themselves while playing in the living room of their Orlando home.
Twin Boys Shoot Themselves With Loaded Firearm
Goodrum told law enforcement that on the night before the incident, she had been drinking heavily and stashed the loaded firearm under a couch cushion in the living room. She did this because she was not wearing clothing with a waistband.
But the next morning, the couple was busy in the house when they heard a loud "pop" sound, an arrest affidavit noted. Goodrum said she went to Walmart to buy groceries for breakfast the morning before the incident. She also stopped at a gas station to buy alcohol.
At the time of the incident, the father was on the back porch of the family's home preparing a meal on a grill. The mother, who was making breakfast for her five children at the time, quickly ran out of the kitchen and found one of the twin boys with a bullet wound near his arm, according to the New York Post.
While the parents were rushing their child to a local hospital, they suddenly realized that the other twin had a "large amount of blood in his shirt," which was because he had also been shot with the gun. The second boy was also complaining of feeling pain from being shot.
Parents Arrested for Neglect
The twins were then transported to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children for treatment, where they are currently staying and have been described as in critical but stable condition. Police added that they also found three other firearms inside the family's home, Fox News reported.
Deputies initially responded to AdventHealth East Orlando hospital for a report of two four-year-old boys suffering from gunshot wounds who were transported to the hospital by their parents.
The affidavit revealed that police authorities determined through investigative measures that "neglect of two children with great bodily harm had occurred by the mother of the children," as per Global News.
Goodrum was arrested on two counts of child neglect with great bodily harm, while Bright was arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
