A Sandy Springs, Georgia, father faces murder charges after his young son took a loaded gun from his dad’s fanny pack and accidentally shot himself. Richard Willis faces second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children in connection with the death of his son, 2-year-old River Willis. Richard Willis was charged with murder after his two-year-old son, River, accidentally shot himself with an unsecured pistol in a home in Sandy Springs, Georgia. (Photo: Screenshot/WANF) According to an arrest affidavit obtained by WAGA-TV, the shooting happened on Feb. 18 in the 2600 block of Sandalwood Drive in the northern Atlanta suburb. Willis and his wife had returned home from a medical procedure that day and put young River down for a nap. Willis reportedly told investigators that he set his fanny pack that contained a loaded 9mm pistol down on the bed in his master bedroom. ‘Beyond Bullying’: Jury Rewards White Teen With $3.2M After He Admitted to Making Black Classmate Drink Urine and Argued the Real Harm Was Being Called Racist A short time later, River came downstairs to tell his father that his cellphone died and asked if Willis could lie down with him until he fell asleep. Willis told his son to go upstairs to the master bedroom and that he would join him soon. “Said accused stated minutes later he heard a gunshot, ran upstairs and discovered his fanny pack open, his pistol by the victim’s leg and a gunshot wound to his face,” the affidavit states, per CBS News Atlanta. Court documents state that River was subjected to “cruel and excessive physical pain” when he fatally shot himself. Authorities accused Willis of acting with criminal negligence by not safely securing the weapon, then sending his son to his bedroom, where the gun was accessible. Investigators also allege that young River knew the pistol was kept in the fanny pack. Fulton County Jail records indicate that Willis was booked into the jail on Feb. 18. A bond has not yet been set. Georgia law states that second-degree cruelty to children can be filed in cases when a person with “criminal negligence causes a child under the age of 18 cruel or excessive physical or mental pain.” Second-degree murder charges can also be filed in child cruelty cases when the criminal negligence — in this case, an adult allegedly being aware that an unsecured gun was accessible to a child — results in fatal outcomes. The state law dictates that “a person commits the offense of murder in the second degree when, in the commission of cruelty to children in the second degree, he or she causes the death of another human being irrespective of malice.” Involuntary manslaughter is only considered in cases when a person “causes the death of another human being without any intention to do so by the commission of an unlawful act other than a felony.” In Georgia, first- and second-degree cruelty to children are considered felonies. The state does not have any laws requiring adults who carry to securely store their firearms. There are also no “child access prevention” laws or any statutes making it unlawful for adults to negligently or recklessly leave their guns accessible to unsupervised children. The family is grieving the sudden and tragic loss of the 2-year-old, whose death, the mother said, has left their once-joyful home painfully quiet. They describe him as a radiant, affectionate child who brought laughter, warmth, and light to everyone around him, and she also reflected deeply on the beautiful bond he shared with his devoted father. “I loved watching his father playfully toss him onto the bed, and our son would squeal with that deep, uncontrollable belly laugh, the kind that filled every corner of the house and forced you to laugh right along with him,” she wrote. “That sound was pure happiness. And the way his daddy looked at him in those moments, like there was nothing else in the world that mattered, is something I will carry with me forever.” ‘Something I Will Carry with Me Forever’: Atlanta Father Charged with Murder After Sending His 2-Year-Old Son to His Bedroom, Where Toddler Accidentally Shot Himself ...read more read less