Pottstown father faces child endangerment charges after 2-year-old son shoots himself with unsecure gun at home

POTTSTOWN, PA (KYW Newsradio) — A 34-year-old Pottstown father turned himself in on Wednesday, facing multiple felony charges after his 2-year-old son shot himself in the chest with an unsecured firearm at home.

Police said on the afternoon of May 15, Luis Marin emptied a shoulder bag he normally used to carry his firearms, and lent the bag to his nephew. He told them he put two handguns onto a bed on the second floor of his Pottstown house.

Not long after, Marin said he heard a gunshot and found his 2-year-old son shot in the chest. He rushed outside with him as his wife arrived home and both took the boy to the emergency room at Pottstown Hospital.

The boy survived, but doctors said he suffered from broken ribs, a fractured scapula and damage to his left lung.

According to court records, Marin told police the gun had been secured and the bedroom door closed and he did not know how the boy got into the bedroom. Police said Marin was the only adult home at the time. Authorities also noted that the child lock only kept someone from opening it from the inside.

Marin faces multiple counts of endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person. He is currently free on an unsecured bail under the stipulation that he cannot have any firearms in the house.

A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 8.