ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul police said an arrest has been made in the shooting death of a two-year-old boy on Dec. 23.
In a post on social media on Monday, police said 39-year-old Earl Williams turned himself in on Christmas night. He was arrested and charged with second degree manslaughter and weapons charges.
Police also identified the boy who was killed as Jayse Damir Wilson.
According to a criminal complaint, emergency crews were called to an apartment on the 800 block of Rice Street on Wednesday afternoon on a report of a toddler with a medical emergency. Medics discovered three of the boy's siblings checking on him in a bathroom, where officers also discovered blood on the floor and a bullet hole in the ceiling. The boy died at the scene.
According to the complaint, the boy's mother returned home and said she'd received a call from Williams saying the boy had shot himself in the head. Williams told her he left a gun in the bathroom and the boy "got to it," according to the complaint.
The complaint says the boy's sister heard the initial gunshot from the living room, but Williams instructed her not to check on it. She said Williams was pacing through the home and eventually told the girl to call 911 before he left the apartment.
The gun was not inside the apartment when officers arrived.
ORIGINAL STORY: 2-year-old killed in St. Paul shooting
Police said Williams has five prior felony convictions and is not allowed to own a firearm.
Williams made his first court appearance on Monday morning, where a judge set bail at $250,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 18.
KARE 11 reached out to William’s lawyer, but he did not want to comment.
St. Paul police said the boy's death marks the 34th homicide of the year in the city.