Man charged with involuntary manslaughter and risking death of 3-year-old boy

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An eastern Pennsylvania man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 3-year-old boy who authorities say shot himself with an unattended gun last month.

Jose Hilario Abreu, 28, of Allentown was arraigned Friday on charges of child endangerment in the March 28 death of Elijah Abreu Borgen. Prosecutors said the child was rushed to Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest but died of a gunshot wound to the torso; his death was ruled an accident.

Lehigh County prosecutors accuse Abreu of leaving the semi-automatic handgun unattended and fully loaded with a live cartridge in the chamber while the victim and a two-year-old child were present.

Prosecutors allege Abreu said he placed the gun under the couch the two toddlers were sitting on, left the room, then heard a loud bang and returned to find Elijah with a gunshot wound to the chest. Prosecutors said that when the gun was fired, it was “unholstered and on a cushion on the couch where both toddlers were sitting.”

Prosecutors said a rapid gunshot residue test conducted after the child’s death yielded a “presumptive positive indication” of gunshot residue on his hands.

Abreu was taken to the Lehigh County Jail pending an arraignment scheduled for Friday; Court documents show he is represented by the county public defender’s office, which could not be reached for comment this weekend.