Eastern Pennsylvania Man Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter for Death of 3-Year-Old Boy

Eastern Pennsylvania Man man involuntary manslaughter death three-year-old boy

By Jackelyn Cornejo , Parent Herald Apr 08, 11:09 am

Photo: (Photo : STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images )

A man from Eastern Pennsylvania has been formally charged with unintentional killing about the death of a three-year-old boy who reportedly shot himself with an unattended handgun last month.

Eastern Pennsylvania Man Accused of Involuntary Manslaughter

Jose Hilario Abreu, aged 28 and residing in Allentown, faced an accusation on Friday, charged not only with unintentional killing but also with two counts of child endangerment stemming from the deadly circumstances on March 28 that resulted in the death of Elijah Abreu Borgen.

According to prosecutors, the child was quickly taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest but succumbed to gunshot injuries to the torso; his passing was deemed accidental.

Lehigh County prosecutors assert that Abreu left a semi-automatic handgun unattended and fully loaded, with a live cartridge in the chamber, while both the victim and a two-year-old child were in proximity.

The prosecution alleges that Abreu disclosed he had placed the firearm under the sofa where the two toddlers were seated and then exited the room, only to return upon hearing a loud noise to discover Elijah with a chest wound from the gunshot.

Prosecutors claim that when the firearm discharged, it was positioned without a holster on a pillow atop the couch where both toddlers were situated.

Authorities revealed that a rapid gunshot residue test conducted after the child's demise provided a "presumptive positive indication" of gunshot residue on his hands.

Abreu has been remanded to Lehigh County jail pending the scheduled arraignment on Friday; court records indicate that he is being represented by the county public defender's office, which could not be reached for comment during the weekend.

Parents of Toddler Who Shot Sibling Charged with Manslaughter

Kentucky authorities have pressed charges against the parents of a 3-year-old who desperately shot his 2-year-old sibling, citing carelessness leading to manslaughter.

Rob Sanders, Kenton County Commonwealth Attorney, was sentenced to the incident and declared that the shooting stemmed from the negligent act of leaving a loaded handgun reachable to an unsupervised toddler.

Selena Farrell, the 23-year-old mother, faced arraignment on Friday for second-degree manslaughter and related charges, as per court documents. Meanwhile, the father, 21-year-old Tashaun Adams, was arrested on second-degree manslaughter charges but has yet to be arraigned, Sanders revealed.

The fatal shooting occurred in an apartment in Northern Kentucky on a Monday afternoon, prompting police intervention.

Reports indicated that Farrell allegedly fled the scene before authorities arrived and did not appear at the hospital where her son, Khalil Adams, succumbed to his injuries. Sanders noted Farrell's justification for fleeing, citing a fear of incarceration and missing her child's funeral, despite the child still being alive at the time of her departure.

The parents admitted to possessing the loaded handgun for security purposes, with Sanders disclosing that they resided in cramped quarters with inadequate sleeping arrangements for the toddlers.

Farrell was apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Florence, Kentucky, while accompanied by the children's father and another individual unrelated to the family, on an outstanding probation warrant tied to a prior felony.

Sanders mentioned that Farrell had legally obtained the firearm from a federally licensed dealer. Thankfully, the surviving 3-year-old suffered no physical harm.

Presently, Adams is held at Boone County jail, while Farrell is detained at the Kenton County Detention Center in Covington, Kentucky.

The circumstances emphasize a national concern regarding firearm safety, with Sanders highlighting the significance of proper parental supervision to avoid such disasters.

Conversely, gun control advocates argue for stricter storage laws to curtail unintentional shootings, citing data indicating a significant number of children's deaths due to firearm accidents.