Joliet Toddler's Shooting Death: Father Convicted On Gun Charge

JOLIET, IL — One year after little 2-year-old Angelo Shelby found a loaded gun inside his father's house on Eastern Avenue and fatally shot himself in the head, the toddler's father has been found guilty of a crime.

Vincent Shelby, now 39, retained the law offices of Charles Bretz & Associates to defend him against the criminal charge filed by the Will County State's Attorney's Office of Jim Glasgow. Last fall, prosecutors charged Vincent Shelby with unlawful storage of a firearm within premises.

In July, Shelby and Bretz took their case to a bench trial at the Will County Courthouse in front of Associate Judge Chrystel Gavlin. On June 2, 2021, little Angelo found his father's gun inside the living room of their house in the 200 block of Eastern Avenue.

Little Angelo died two months before his third birthday.

"Angelo was a beautiful, sweet, smart and funny and not to mention, shy little guy," his obituary prepared by Joliet's Minor Morris Funeral Home stated. "He was a lot of things, he always kept you on your toes. Angelo loved his cars and trucks, he played with them morning, noon and night. When he didn’t have his cars, he had his phone watching Paw Patrol, Miraculous Ladybug, funny videos and dancing."

Vincent Shelby's criminal trial took place in late July in Courtroom 304. The toddler's death was investigated by the Joliet Police Department and the agency held a rare news conference, last summer, to discuss the tragedy on Joliet's east side.

The criminal complaint noted 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 last month's trial, after the prosecution finished presenting its witnesses, Bretz chose not to put on any defense. Bretz did not call any witnesses to the stand to testify, and he did not call his client, Vincent Shelby, to testify in his own defense.

Judge Gavlin has set the next court hearing for Vincent Shelby on Aug. 26. As of now, his sentencing date has not been announced.

Joliet Patch related coverage:

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

Deadly Shooting Of Joliet Toddler: Father Faces Gun Charges