PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A father who claimed his 4-year-old son was killed in a home invasion robbery has now been charged with involuntary manslaughter because the boy apparently shot himself with a gun he found in the Philadelphia home, authorities said.
Edward Williams, 28, was also charged Thursday with child endangerment, filing a false report and numerous other counts. His bail was set at $2 million, and it's not known if he's retained an attorney.
Police went to the home shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday in response to a 911 call. The officers were met by Williams, who was on the ground floor and holding his 3-year-old son. The older child was then found unresponsive in an upstairs bedroom and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Williams told police that he and the children were in the house when robbers invaded their home. In fact, authorities say, Williams was apparently sleeping when the shooting occurred, and it's believed the child found the gun in a bedroom closet.
It's not yet known who owns the gun, but authorities say it wasn't registered to Williams Authorities said Williams most likely fabricated the home invasion story because he has a lengthy arrest record and should not have been in possession of a weapon.
Williams and his younger child were not injured. The children's mother was at work at the time.
