Elijah was only three years old and should still be alive, and not with his memory posted on a GoFundMe to garner donations for his funeral. Gun safety guidelines are so simple to follow that we should never hear stories like this one, but they are all too common.
An Allentown man is facing charges now after his 3-year-old son found a loaded Glock Dad left under the sofa where Elijah and another toddler were sitting and fatally shot himself in the chest. The father might as well have handed the gun to the poor kid. And please don't say I'm being hard on the father. It's simple: Lock your guns up, especially if you have children in the house.
WFMZ reports:
Jose Hilario Abreu, 28, is charged with involuntary manslaughter in which the victim is under 12 years of age and two counts of endangering the welfare of children; violating a duty of care which creates a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury for a child age 6 and younger, according to a news release from the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.
All the charges are second-degree felonies.
On March 28, 2024 at approximately 11:53 a.m., Lehigh County 911 Communications Center received a 911 call in which a female said her 3-year-old son grabbed a gun and shot himself in the chest, the DA's office said.
According to NBC Philadelphia, Abreu told the police that he was in another room when he heard a loud bang and then found his son suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Abreu was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter in which the victim is under 12 years of age, endangering the welfare of children, and violating a duty of care which creates a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury for a child age 6 and younger.
Abreu was arraigned on Friday with bail set at $250,000 cash. He was committed to the Lehigh County Jail.
This is just sad for the entire family. In seconds, all of their lives changed—except for Elijah's. Rest in peace, little guy.
