Involuntary Manslaughter Charge Dropped Against Father Of Boy Accused In Death Of Toddler

DETROIT (WWJ) - An involuntary manslaughter charge has been dropped against the father of an 11-year-old boy accused in the fatal shooting of a 3-year-old boy outside a Detroit home.

During a preliminary examination Tuesday Curry Bryson was ordered to stand trial on a charge of altering identification marks on a weapon but charges of involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse were dismissed.

His son is charged in Juvenile Court with manslaughter.

The shooting took place on Aug. 3, outside a home on Eastwood Street near Kelly Road as the boy and an 11-year-old boy were playing with a gun which he found in the house and threw out a window, retrieving it later, and at some point firing it and striking the toddler, Elijah Walker in the face.

Commanding Officer Constance Slappey with Detroit Police Homicide said the boys were running around the yard with the weapon before they entered a parked car. At that time, she said, the older boy accidentally shot the toddler in the face.

The boy was rushed by EMS to St. John Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.