Who was Shamaya Lynn? Florida mom shot dead by toddler son while on Zoom call leaving coworkers stunned
ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FLORIDA: A young mother was killed in Florida after her toddler shot her to death while she was on a work zoom call. Horrified coworkers who watched the shooting happen were the ones to call 911 after the mother fell from her seat at a loud bang and did not get up. Identified as Shanaya Lynn, the mother was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
News of this shocking incident follows a spate of toddlers endangered and killed by their parents. Just a day ago, California surfing school owner Matthew Taylor Coleman was arrested for stabbing his two children to death with a spearfishing gun in Mexico. Months ago, Lauren Ashley Baker was charged with accidentally killing her two-year-old who ingested fentanyl while the mom was passed out from the drug. Another Florida parent, a man called John Stacey, killed his son before killing himself after repeatedly stalking and threatening the boy's mother.
READ MORE
Who is Linda Sexton? Norman school board member says maskless kids could ‘commit murder’
Kassceen Weaver and Dina Weaver: Duo killed son and kept body frozen for over 2 years
Who was Shamaya Lynn?
The 21-year-old mom from Altamonte Springs, Florida was shot dead by her toddler on Wednesday, August 11, as her coworkers watched. Lynn, who lived in the city just north of Orlando, was on the conference call when a sudden, loud bang could be heard. The woman fell backward and a toddler was visible standing in the background. That's when one of the people on the call informed 911, who found Lynn dead at her home.
According to local outlet WESH, Lynn was killed by a gun that belonged to the boy's father. “Investigators determined that the injury was caused by a toddler who found a loaded handgun, which was left unsecured by an adult in the apartment,” Altamonte Springs Police Department said in a statement the next day, August 12. “To anyone and everyone tuning into this story if you own a firearm please keep it locked and secured,” Officer Roberto Ruiz, Jr is shown saying in the TV clip. “Incidents like this can be avoided.”
Unintentional killings by children not that uncommon
Lynn and the gun's owner shared two kids, one of them being the toddler. Both the children have been put in the care of relatives. The Seminole County State Attorney’s Office is currently working with local detectives to figure out if the gun's owner will face charges. Currently, under investigation, no charges have been filed in the case.
Shootings by children, unintentional or otherwise, are not that uncommon. Lynn's death was an unfortunate accident, but there were at least 369 unintentional shootings by children below 18 in 2020, with 142 of them involved deaths, according to the gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, which tracks reports. A similar killing like Lynn's had happened back in February when a North Carolina mother of five was shot and killed by one of her kids who found the gun in her purse. In April again, a three-year-old Houston boy fatally shot his 8-month-old brother with an unsecured firearm as well.