Trial begins for Joliet man charged with unlawful gun storage in connection with son’s death

A judge will decide whether a Joliet father is guilty of unlawfully storing a handgun that his 2-year-old son grabbed and used to accidentally shoot himself, which resulted in his tragic death last year.

A bench trial began Wednesday for Vincent Shelby, 39, whom prosecutors have charged with the misdemeanor offense of unlawful storage of a firearm within premises. The offense is a class C misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail.

The charge was filed following a Joliet police investigation of the June 2, 2021 death of Shelby’s 2-year-old son Angelo Shelby. The child had shot himself after finding a loaded firearm in the living room of Vincent Shelby’s residence in the 200 block of South Eastern Avenue, according to Joliet police.

Prosecutors are asking Will County Judge Chrystel Gavlin to find Vincent Shelby guilty of storing or leaving his Walther .40-caliber pistol at his residence, while knowing or having reason to believe his son would likely gain access to the firearm.

Vincent Shelby’s attorney, Chuck Bretz, told Gavlin that the case involves “unspeakable tragedy.”

Bretz said Vincent Shelby was working as an armed security guard at the time of the incident and legally owned the firearm. He said his client has “suffered immensely” from the incident.

“This was a tragic accident…it was not a criminal offense,” Bretz said.

Angelo Shelby’s mother, Socorro Meza, said she had left her son in the care of her husband Vincent Shelby on June 2, 2021 so she could go to work. The parents had been going through divorce proceedings that began several months before the incident. She said she did not end up going to work because her husband called to tell her that Angelo Shelby had shot himself.

Joliet Police Officer Alan Vertin was the first officer to respond to the incident about 8:55 a.m. that day.

Vertin said he walked into the kitchen of the residence and saw Angelo Shelby lying motionless on a kitchen table with a gunshot wound above his nose. He said he attempted to place a gauze on the wound, but carried the child to an ambulance outside when he saw how much he was bleeding.

Joliet Police Officer Robert Klancher, one of the responding officers, said he heard Vincent Shelby speaking with another officer about the events leading up to the shooting.

Klancher said he heard the father say that he had been walking his dog, returned home, set a pistol on top of a TV stand, put his dog in cage and then heard a gunshot.

Vincent Shelby was crying throughout the trial and at one point buried his head into his arms and cried while sitting next to Bretz.

The trial is slated to continue on Thursday afternoon.