Mother of local toddler killed in Florida notified of criminal charges

KISSIMMEE, FL (WRDW/WAGT) - The mother of a 2-year-old Louisville boy killed by an unsecured firearm in Florida could face charges, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said.

A felony charge of culpable negligence has been forwarded to the state attorney’s office against Shakelia Tennyson, 37, of Louisville.

The state attorney will decide whether to formally file charges.

Tennyson has already returned to Georgia and has been notified.

Authorities say the gun that killed Brayden Tennyson belonged to his mother.

The sheriff’s office says a 4-year-old family member found the unsecured, unholstered handgun inside a vehicle on July 12 and fired it, striking Brayden, who was also in the car.

Both children were unsupervised at the time.

Brayden was killed in Kissimmee, Florida, when the family had traveled from Louisville in Jefferson County for a Disney World vacation to celebrate his birthday.

He was transported to Arnold Palmer Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

July 14 would have been his third birthday. A balloon release was held in Louisville that evening in his honor.

“Once you pull that trigger, that projectile is going somewhere, and this one hit a 2-year-old and killed it,” Osceola County Sheriff Chris Blackmon said.