SOUTHPORT, FL – A babysitter is has been charged after she left her shotgun unattended with children in the house as she dozed off.
The Bay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Southport today just before 2:00 AM in reference to a medical emergency. Deputies arrived to find a seven-year-old child bleeding on the bathroom floor, being held by a caregiver. The child had a gunshot wound.
Deputies immediately administered emergency care and EMS arrived within minutes and took the child to a local hospital.
The caregiver of the child, Kayla Tully, age 32, was interviewed. She stated she left a 20-gauge shotgun leaning against the back door of the home when she went to the front door to see why the dog was barking. She then stated she sat on the couch and dozed off. She was awakened by another child telling her that the victim had been shot.
Tully stated she did not hear the gunshot.BCSO Criminal Investigations, Crime Scene, and the Department of Children and Families all responded to the scene for further investigation. It is believed the 7-year-old was shot by a younger sibling with the unattended gun while Tully slept. There were five children under the age of ten in the home when deputies responded. Tully stated she regularly kept a loaded firearm by the back door to the residence.
Kayla Tully was arrested and charged with Cruelty Toward a Child-Aggravated Abuse, Child Neglect (X4), and Unsafe Storage of a Firearm. She was taken to the Bay County Jail.