Father charged after toddler shoots self with gun under sofa

A 3-year-old boy lost his life after shooting himself with a handgun left unattended in eastern Pennsylvania. Jose Hilario Abreu, 28, from Allentown, now faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and two counts of child endangerment in connection with the March 28 death of Elijah Abreu Borgen.

The authorities revealed that the child succumbed to a gunshot wound to the torso, with the death being ruled as accidental.

According to Lehigh County prosecutors, Abreu allegedly left a semi-automatic handgun unattended, fully loaded with a live cartridge in the chamber, while the victim and another 2-year-old child were present. It is alleged that Abreu placed the gun under the sofa where the two toddlers were seated and then left the room. Upon hearing a loud bang, he returned to find Elijah with a gunshot wound to the chest. The gun, prosecutors stated, discharged while resting atop a pillow on the couch where the toddlers were seated.

A rapid gunshot residue test conducted post the child’s demise yielded a “presumptive positive indication” of gunshot residue on his hands. Abreu has been detained at Lehigh County jail awaiting arraignment scheduled for Friday. Court documents indicate his representation by the county public defender’s office, which was unreachable for comment over the weekend.

This tragedy adds to a series of fatal shootings involving young children across the United States in recent months. In February alone, incidents were reported in Indianapolis, North Carolina, and Tennessee, claiming the lives of toddlers due to accidental firearm discharges. Such incidents highlight the pressing need for gun safety measures, especially in households with young children.

Data from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that hundreds of children have lost their lives while playing with guns over the past two decades. More than half of these fatalities occurred in the child’s own home, emphasizing the importance of safe storage procedures and laws. A report from the nonprofit Everytown For Gun Safety further underscores the necessity of implementing gun-safe storage or child access prevention laws to mitigate unintentional shootings, particularly among children aged zero to five years old.

As of early 2024, 26 states in America have some form of gun-safe storage or child access prevention laws in place. However, the statistics remain alarming, with more than half of the children accidentally killed by another being under 10 years old. These sobering figures underscore the urgent need for comprehensive measures to prevent such tragedies and safeguard the lives of innocent children.