Deadly Shooting Of Joliet Toddler: Father Faces Gun Charges

JOLIET, IL — More than three months after a 2-year-old Joliet boy fatally shot himself in the head with his father's gun inside the living room of their house on Eastern Avenue, the Will County State's Attorney's Office filed criminal charges against the 38-year-old father, Vincent Shelby.

The Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow has charged Shelby with unlawful storage of a firearm within premises. Joliet Police Detective Paul Rodriguez submitted the criminal complaint. Will County Judge Dave Carlson set bail at $1,000 for Shelby, who lives at the house in the 200 block of South Eastern Avenue where the fatal shooting occurred.

Little Angelo died two months before his third birthday.

The complaint states that Vincent Shelby knowingly stored a Walther .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun at his house at 201 South Eastern Avenue "knowing or having reason to believe that a minor under the age of 14 years ... Angelo Shelby, who did not have a Firearm Owner's Identification Card, was likely to gain access to the firearm without the lawful permission of Angelo Shelby's parent, and Angelo Shelby caused death or great bodily harm with the firearm, to himself, and the firearm was not secured by a device or mechanism ... and it was not placed in a securely locked box or container and it was not placed in some other location that a reasonable person would believe to be secure from a minor under the age of 14 years."

At a news conference in June, 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."

At the time of the news conference, Joliet police said the deadly shooting was being investigated as an accident, but police said it was always possible that charges could result at the end of the investigation.

"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."

A bench warrant was issued for Shelby's arrest. According to court documents, Detective Rodriguez asked court officials to notify him when the arrest is made.