Mother of two-year-old who shot himself faces judge in first appearance since tragedy

The SoCal mother of the 2-year-old boy who tragically shot himself appeared in court Wednesday with a grim expression on her face as she faces multiple devastating criminal charges.

Jamaria Cobb, 20, and her boyfriend, Armand Bright, 52, appeared in San Bernardino Superior Court for their arraignment in the death of toddler A’mier Doe.

Prosecutors have charged the pair with child abuse resulting in A’mier’s death, child abuse involving Cobb’s other 1-year-old child, and first-degree criminal storage of a firearm.

“The death of a child is a profound tragedy,” San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said. “Our office is committed to pursuing accountability in cases where unlawful and unsafe access to firearms results in devastating loss. We appreciate the thorough work of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department during this investigation.”

Cobb and Bright are being held on $250,000 bail and were returned to jail.

The pair were present when the 2-year-old fatally shot himself in San Bernardino County on July 16 after finding a gun at his family’s home in a tragic accident.

Officers responded to the 6900 block of Victoria Avenue in Highland around 5:27 p.m. that day to find the toddler suffering from a gunshot wound. The child was transported to a hospital and declared dead shortly after.

Police said the boy found the gun hidden between two couch cushions and then shot himself.

Child and Family Services took custody of a second child found inside the home.

Video from the scene showed yellow tape around a residence, several police vehicles, and a large group of first responders.

Posts on Cobb’s Facebook account revealed more about the mother, who said on her account that her boys were her “world.”

In one post in March, she wrote: “I was f–ked uppppp last night.”

And just four days before her toddler’s death, she wrote a post cursing out an unknown person.

“F–k that ponk n whoever coming behind him a d–k eating ass ho as well,” she wrote.

A friend of Cobb’s told The California Post that she believes Cobb wouldn’t have put the toddler in danger.

“Jamaria is a great mom, and she doesn’t play about her 2 little ones,” she said. “She loves them to death and wouldn’t try to put them purposely in any danger.”

Highland is a city a few miles east of San Bernardino with a population of about 57,000 people.

A study conducted with data spanning from 2003 to 2021 found firearm use was a leading cause of death among children and teens aged 0 to 17. A common circumstance involved the child or teen playing with the firearm or showing it off. The firearms involved were usually stored loaded and in an unlocked area.