Two-year-old Killed in Accidental Shooting

Noah, age 2, the youngest of five siblings, was killed in an accidental shooting near Hayden, Alabama. All of the children were at home with their mother, Evelyn Leyva Etress, when the shooting occurred. Etress told officials she left her two four-year-old girls alone in the master bedroom where loaded guns were accessible to the children. After hearing the gunshot, Estress saw the girls running from the closet, and found Noah bleeding, with a gun on the floor. The district attorney said that the child’s injuries were not self-inflicted. One gun was recovered from the scene, and the sheriff said that at least three unsecured long guns were also found there. Etress was charged on multiple counts including aggravated child abuse and reckless manslaughter.

Sources:

Jeff Wyatt, Sumner Harrell, “Mother Charged After Blount County 2-year-old Dies From Gunshot,” abc3340.com (January 9, 2026).

Taylor Lang, Ryan Lovell, “Mother Charged With Manslaughter After 2-year-old Shot, Killed While Siblings Unattended in Blount County,” wvtm13.com (January 10, 2026).