Two-year-old boy kills his father

A 26-year-old Florida man was shot and killed by his two-year-old son with an unsecured pistol at their home in Orlando, Florida, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said yesterday.

The incident appears to have occurred in front of the child's five-year-old brother, who later became the most important witness in the investigation, according to Orange Country Police.

According to Police Chief John Mina, officers at the scene in Orlando, who were alerted through an emergency call, initially assumed that the 26-year-old father had committed suicide.

However, a gunshot wound to the man's back did not support this theory.

Investigations at the scene also confirmed the five-year-old's account that his little brother had caused the accidental shooting.

Besides the two children and another five-month-old baby, the children's mother was also at home at the time.

She was found trying to revive her husband when the police arrived.

"The gun was not stored properly," Mina said at a press conference. "In fact, it was easy to reach, even for a two-year-old, and the result is a tragedy once again in this community that no one can truly understand."

According to the report, both parents were under surveillance for child neglect and drug offenses.

The mother was arrested and now faces charges including manslaughter, unlawful possession of a firearm and violation of probation.

"Now these young children have virtually lost both of their parents. Their father is dead, their mother is in prison. The little boy will live his life knowing that he shot his father. These tragedies are 100 percent preventable," Mina said.