A father who told police his son was shot during a home invasion is facing multiple charges in connection to the boy’s death.
WPVI reports that Edward Williams, 28, was arraigned Friday morning on charges including involuntary manslaughter and false report after he allegedly lied to police about the circumstances of his son’s shooting death.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the father called to report a home invasion early Thursday morning. When police arrived, the father was holding a 3-year-old child and the 4-year-old boy was unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom. The boy was transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
According to WPVI, authorities now believe the father lied about the purported home invasions and the boy accidentally shot himself when he came across a loaded gun in the home. Williams is reportedly a felon and legally prohibited from owning a gun.
In a news conference Thursday, police said they believed the 3-year-old child was with or near the elder sibling when the boy shot himself, because the younger child alerted the father, who was sleeping at the time.
The boy’s mother was at work at the time, as Williams initially told police.
The suspect is being held on $2 million bail.
Authorities have not released the identity of the deceased child. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast.
[Feature image: Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay]
