Twin 4-year-old boys were shot and critically wounded Saturday inside their Central Florida home, leading to the arrest of their parents, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting happened around 2 p.m. on Oct. 8 just east of Orlando, in Orange County.
According to CBS Orlando affiliate WKMG, deputies said they were called to AdventHealth East hospital after the parents brought in their twin sons, both suffering from gunshot wounds.
The mother, 39-year-old Keishara B. Goodrum, was arrested on two counts of child neglect with great bodily harm, while the father, Maurice Wayne Bright Jr., 40, was arrested for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Parents say they heard a “pop” inside their Orlando-area home
Both parents claimed they didn’t see the shooting but heard a loud “pop” inside the house, an arrest affidavit stated.
Goodrum told deputies she saw one of the boys raise his arm and realized he had been shot. Bright rushed inside and saw his son bleeding, according to officials. The parents then took the boys to the hospital, where they discovered the other twin was also injured.
The sheriff’s office said Goodrum had allegedly been drinking heavily the night before and left one of her guns on the couch. The next morning, while making breakfast for her five children, she and Bright heard the gunshot. Goodrum later admitted the boys had access to the weapon because she left it out. She also said Bright knew about the three firearms in the house and had handled them before.
Authorities later added two more charges against Goodrum for leaving a loaded gun within reach of a minor. The twins were transferred to Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital in critical but stable condition.
Neighbor Elba Santos told WKMG she was horrified: “It’s terrible. You keep it away from children.”
CBS News Miami
