3-Year-Old Fatally Shot Self After Finding Gun Allegedly Left Under Couch – Man Charged with Manslaughter

Elijah Abreu Borgen’s mother called 911, telling dispatch that her 3-year-old had accidentally shot himself in the chest March 28

Investigators found a 3-year-old fatally wounded and gunshot residue on his hands.

Now, a Pennsylvania man who allegedly left unattended a 2- and 3-year-old on a couch with a loaded gun underneath it is charged with felony involuntary manslaughter of a child, per a press release by the Allentown Police Department.

In addition to the felony charge, José Hilario Abreu, 28, is facing two counts of endangering the welfare of children and breaching a duty of care creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to a child aged 6 and younger – all second-degree felonies.

Hilario allegedly told police that he placed his gun “under the sofa where the two children were sitting and left the room” on March 28, per the police press release.

The gun, police claim, was “fully loaded with a live cartridge in the chamber.”

Later that morning, Hilario heard “a loud bang,” from the other room and found Elijah Abreu Borgen, with a gunshot to the torso. The discharged gun lay on a pillow beside the two children, per police.

The child’s mother called 911 just before noon, saying her son had “grabbed a gun and shot himself in the chest,” per police.

Elijah was rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest, where he later died of his injuries. The 3-year-old’s death was ruled accidental by Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio, per police.

Pennsylvania is currently one of 24 states in the country without secure storage and child access prevention laws, per updated accounting by Everytown for Gun Safety.

Hilario Abreu was arraigned Friday, April 5, per police, who said he was booked into Lehigh County Jail, with bail set at $250,000 cash. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing this Friday, April 12, at 1:30 p.m., per his online court information.

The Lehigh Court of Common Pleas tells PEOPLE that he has not yet entered a plea and is represented by a public defender.

Elijah's aunt, Yaileen Baez Giron, remembered her nephew on a GoFundMe page she created to cover the costs of his funeral service, as “a smart, loving little boy” who had a growing collection of toy dinosaurs and who was “always playful and with a smile on his face.”

She added: “He has made a huge impact in our lives in [the] short time he was with us.”

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