Police: Father charged after 2-year-old shoots mom in Derry Township
A 2-year-old boy accidentally shot his mother in the leg this month as she tried to take a loaded weapon out of his hands in Derry Township.
On Tuesday, state police charged the father, David Vincent Marghella Jr., 25.
Trooper Steve Limani said the weapon was left unsecured Nov. 1 on a nightstand in the couple’s bedroom on James Street. Marghella was sleeping on the couch and his 24-year-old wife found the boy holding the gun in a hallway, he said.
“She freaks out, goes to grab it off the kid” when the gun discharged, Limani said.
The weapon accidentally fired a bullet into her thigh. She was hospitalized. Marghella was dropping the boy off at a relative’s home when police caught up with him.
Marghella is a former Derry Borough policeman, Limani said. He is charged with reckless endangerment and child endangerment, both misdemeanors.
His attorney could not be reached. Court papers were unavailable because Marghella had not been arraigned. No court action had been scheduled
About 1.7 million children in the country live in a home with an unsecured, loaded gun, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute. About one-third of accidental deaths from a shooting could have been prevented with a child-proof safety lock and a loading indicator, according to the U.S. General Accounting Office.
About 14% of firearm-related deaths involving children under 15 are the result of an unintentional shooting, according to the University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center. Safe storage options include cable or trigger locks, a safe and taking the weapon apart.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, [email protected] or via Twitter .