Months after a 3-year-old boy shot himself with a handgun in Allentown and died, a man has pleaded guilty in the case.
An Allentown, Pennsylvania, man has plead guilty in connection to the death of a 3-year-old boy that happened in March, 2024, according to the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.
29-year-old Jose Hilario Abreu pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child, the District Attorney's Office said.
Abreu is accused of leaving a loaded handgun within reach of the 3-year-old, identified as Elijah Abreu Borgen, and a second 2-year-old child, officials said. Borgen grabbed the gun and shot himself in the chest leading to his death.
Officials explained that on March 28, 2024, a woman called 911 to report that her son, Borgen, shot himself around 11:53 a.m.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
Police found Borgen suffering from a life-threatening injuries and took him to a nearby hospital where he later died. His death was ruled accidental
Investigators found that Abreu had a loaded handgun inside the home with the two young children and had left it unattended with a live cartridge in the chamber.
Officials said that when the gun went off, it was not in a holster but was sitting on top of a pillow on the couch where the two children were sitting.
After Borgen died, officials performed a rapid gunshot residue test on him and it came back with a presumptive positive for residue on his hands.
Abreu faces a minimum sentence of 18 to 30 months in prison, officials said. He will be sentenced on Feb. 11, 2025.
