Detroit Dad To Face Trial In Son's Death; Gun Wasn't Secured
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - A Detroit man accused of failing to lock up a loaded shotgun has been ordered to stand trial in the death of his 9-year-old son.
Daylen Head was shot in the head on Nov. 9. He was in a room with another child when the gun fired.
Judge Shannon Holmes says it's not enough to tell children to stay away from a closet with a gun inside. She says, "The gun should never have been there."
MLive.com reports that Holmes on Tuesday ordered Christopher Head to stand trial on a murder charge and other crimes. Defense attorney Byron Pitts accused prosecutors of piling on a grieving father.
Police have said the boy was handling a shotgun in the 6600 block of Barton Street, near Livernois and Tireman when the weapon went off.
The father was at home along with another child.
The prosecutor's office said Daylen was shot in the head with the gun, which was loaded and wasn't secured. The boy was a student in nearby Dearborn. It's unclear why he wasn't at school that day.
Head is a convicted felon and can't legally possess a gun. Daylen was a third-grader.
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