Twins shot after finding gun in couch cushions, parents arrested
A mother and father were arrested after their 4-year-old twins were shot to death after discovering a handgun hidden in a couch in their family’s Florida home, authorities said.
The two children, who were not named, suffered serious gunshot wounds and rushed to AdventHealth East Orlando, where they remained in stable condition Monday evening, officials told ClickOrlando.
Their mother, Keishara Goodrum, 39, was arrested on two counts of child neglect with serious bodily injury, while their father, Maurice Bright Jr., 40, faces a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Goodrum told detectives she had been drinking heavily the night before the shooting — which happened early Saturday morning — and at one point reached for her handgun, NBC News reported, citing an arrest affidavit. She said that because she wasn’t wearing belted clothing, she slipped her gun between the couch cushions, then forgot she had done it.
Goodrum was cooking in the kitchen the next morning when she heard “a loud ‘pop'” coming from the living room, according to the affidavit. Bright, who claimed to be outside at the time, said he rushed into the house after hearing “the commotion.” The parents immediately loaded the two boys into the car and rushed to AdventHealth.
Medical personnel then alerted authorities to the shooting, triggering an investigation.
