Gun Death Of Joliet Boy, 2, Called 'Tragic, Tragic Accident'

JOLIET, IL — Supervisors at the Joliet Police Department said that Wednesday morning's gun death of a 2-year-old boy inside his house in the 200 block of Eastern Avenue was a tragic, tragic accidental death. Only the boy and his father were home at the time of the shooting, which Joliet police are calling an accidental discharge.

Joliet police officials held a news conference at 3:30 p.m. to discuss details of Wednesday morning's shooting on the city's southeast side.

Police responded to the shooting at 8:55 a.m. Joliet officers attempted life-saving measures on the small child, who was rushed by a Joliet Fire Department ambulance to AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center, where the child later died.

Joliet Police Lt. Joe Egizio told reporters that the gun belonged to the boy's father.

Egizio said the gun "was legally owned" and the weapon was being stored in a television stand "where the child was able to access it."

Egizio said that only two people were in the house when the gun went off: the father and his son. The gun went off in the living room, according to police.

According to Joliet police, the boy was shot "in the head area."

"Look, I can attest as a parent with my colleagues up here, things can go bad in a split second," Egizio told reporters. "You have to be conscious of where you're placing firearms if you own them. I, as a police officer and firearm owner, have to make that conscious decision every night, but again, bad things happen to good people.

"Bad things happen quick. I'm not judging individual decisions. We are here to do our job, which we have, to investigate the unfortunate situation that happened this morning, and I'll leave it at that."

Joliet police are investigating the shooting as an accidental gun discharge and no criminal charges are being filed at this time.

However, Joliet Police Sgt. Dwayne English told reporters that there is "always that possibility of criminal charges at the end of that investigation."