Police in Philadelphia revealed that a man who had claimed that his 4-year-old son had been killed in a home invasion, made up this story to cover up an accident in which the child got access to a gun and fatally shot himself.
The man, 28-year-old Edward Williams, called police before 1 a.m. Thursday and told them that robbers had broken into his home and shot the child, the Philadelphia Police Department said in a news conference.
When officers arrived at the scene, they were met by Williams, who told them his son was shot in an upstairs bedroom.
The child was found lying unconscious and unresponsive. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The police officers did not find signs of forced entry to the home and no signs of a struggle.
You can read: A 4-year-old boy shot dead during home invasion in Philadelphia
However, Thursday afternoon, police spokesman Capt. Sekou Kinebrew said Williams made up the story of a home invasion.
The investigation disclosed that the unfortunate boy took the loaded weapon from a closet while his father slept and shot himself near his younger brother.
It was also determined that the younger child witnessed the shooting because he was the one who alerted Williams.
The victim was identified as Edward Williams Jr. and was affectionately known by neighbors as “Bubba.”
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According to authorities the father fabricated the home invasión and crime story because he had a criminal record and was not supposed to have firearms.
Also it was known that the gun connected to the accident, a 9mm Glock, was not registered.
The lying father was arraigned Friday morning on charges that also included involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment, child endangerment, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice and drug counts, according to online court records.
Williams was being held on $2 million bail.
Pennsylvania state law determines that an involuntary manslaughter charge involving a child under 12 years old is a second-degree felony carrying a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.