Police: Dad 'made up' home invasion after 4-year-old son shot himself in Philadelphia
Source: Omaha World Herald-AP
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.
Read more: https://www.omaha.com/news/trending/police-dad-made-up-home-invasion-after--year-old/article_10ce582a-85cd-5c19-9036-6a2453e9135b.html
Initech
(100,079 posts)Bluepinky
(2,271 posts)marble falls
(57,097 posts)bond are out of lime.
mikeysnot
(4,757 posts)responsible....
sick of fucking writing this.
sarisataka
(18,656 posts)paleotn
(17,918 posts)iluvtennis
(19,861 posts)alittlelark
(18,890 posts)Completely separate from a warm dead son, make up an elaborate lie, and rationalize it to himself.
Sancho
(9,070 posts)This is my generic response to gun threads where people are shot and killed by the dumb or criminal possession of guns. For the record, I grew up in the South and on military bases. I was taught about firearms as a child, and I grew up hunting, was a member of the NRA, and I still own guns. In the 70s, I dropped out of the NRA because they become more radical and less interested in safety and training. Some personal experiences where people I know were involved in shootings caused me to realize that anyone could obtain and posses a gun no matter how illogical it was for them to have a gun. Also, easy access to more powerful guns, guns in the hands of children, and guns that werent secured are out of control in our society. As such, heres what I now think ought to be the requirements to possess a gun. Im not debating the legal language, I just think its the reasonable way to stop the shootings. Notice, none of this restricts the type of guns sold. This is aimed at the people who shoot others, because its clear that they should never have had a gun.
1.) Anyone in possession of a gun (whether they own it or not) should have a regularly renewed license. If you want to call it a permit, certificate, or something else that's fine.
2.) To get a license, you should have a background check, and be examined by a professional for emotional and mental stability appropriate for gun possession. It might be appropriate to require that examination to be accompanied by references from family, friends, employers, etc. This check is not to subject you to a mental health diagnosis, just check on your superficial and apparent gun-worthyness.
3.) To get the license, you should be required to take a safety course and pass a test appropriate to the type of gun you want to use.
4.) To get a license, you should be over 21. Under 21, you could only use a gun under direct supervision of a licensed person and after obtaining a learners license. Your license might be restricted if you have children or criminals or other unsafe people living in your home. (If you want to argue 18 or 25 or some other age, fine. 21 makes sense to me.)
5.) If you possess a gun, you would have to carry a liability insurance policy specifically for gun ownership - and likely you would have to provide proof of appropriate storage, security, and whatever statistical reasons that emerge that would drive the costs and ability to get insurance.
6.) You could not purchase a gun or ammunition without a license, and purchases would have a waiting period.
7.) If you possess a gun without a license, you go to jail, the gun is impounded, and a judge will have to let you go (just like a DUI).
8.) No one should carry an unsecured gun (except in a locked case, unloaded) when outside of home. Guns should be secure when transporting to a shooting event without demonstrating a special need. Their license should indicate training and special carry circumstances beyond recreational shooting (security guard, etc.). If you are carrying your gun while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, you lose your gun and license.
9.) If you buy, sell, give away, or inherit a gun, your license information should be recorded.
10.) If you accidentally discharge your gun, commit a crime, get referred by a mental health professional, are served a restraining order, etc., you should lose your license and guns until reinstated by a serious relicensing process.
Most of you know that a license is no big deal. Besides a drivers license you need a license to fish, operate a boat, or many other activities. I realize these differ by state, but that is not a reason to let anyone without a bit of sense pack a semiautomatic weapon in public, on the roads, and in schools. I think we need to make it much harder for some people to have guns.
keithbvadu2
(36,814 posts)comment from a blog (DU I think)
I had a coworker who was a big time gun owner who kept a gun in every room in the house just in case someone broke in (lots of problems with that idea, may be worth a blog article someday, but thats what he did). He even went so far as to start buying more guns for each room after a school shooting, like home invasion and mass shooting are correlated somehow. He had let his NRA membership lapse and refused to renew it because he got tired of nonstop requests for donations. To him all the membership did was give the NRA to badger him for more money with phone calls, and direct mailings. If the
organization is as strapped for cash as it appears, those solicitations may have gone way over the top and people are simply tired of being badgered for money and are choosing to let their membership to lapse.
keithbvadu2
(36,814 posts)The NRA used to be for sportsmen, hunters and gun safety.
Now it has become an industry owned shill for the sale of more guns and the enrichment of its leaders.
SpankMe
(2,957 posts)All of the items in your list (which is right on, by the way) would definitely constitute an undue burden on constitutionally permitted gun ownership as interpreted by courts in the recent era.
What we really need to do is dump the 2nd amendment. I know that's a long shot. But, the earlier we start, the sooner it will come. It'll take 60 years. But, our great grandchildren will thank us.
We are the only country I know of with gun ownership rights sanctified in its top level legal canon. And, not coincidentally, we have the highest gun casualty rate - in absolute terms, and per capita - in the world. And, by orders of magnitude.
As for the population using guns to keep the government in line - how quaint. The cops and the army would roll over us. They have strict gun laws in Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Australia - you name it. I don't see dictatorial governments in those countries. It's a myth that the government will take us over if we have no 2nd amendment.
A few dozen moron teenagers - IN TOTAL - died OD'ing on ephedra, so the government banned it. Thirty-plus thousand people die a year by gunfire, but we can't do anything about it.
Gun nuts can cry me a river.