Royersford boy, 4, killed self with father's gun, coroner says

A 4-year-old boy apparently shot himself by accident Monday afternoon in his Montgomery County home, the county coroner said.

Royersford police were called to the two-story brick twin on Chestnut Street about 12:45 p.m., responding to a report that someone had been shot, authorities said.

Michael DeSantis was found with a gunshot wound to his head, authorities said. He died at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center.

"The child apparently shot himself with a weapon that belonged to his father," said Walter I. Hofman, the coroner.

An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday, Hofman said. Police and the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office are investigating the shooting.

On Wednesday night, the lights were off and no one answered the door at the DeSantis house. Yvonne DeSantis, the boy's grandmother, was at her home nearby and said the day's events were "horrible." She declined to comment further.

Neighbors on Chestnut Street were stunned.

"This is very distressful for the neighborhood," said Gerry Conroy, who lives across the street. "Nothing like this has ever happened before."

The boy was described as the youngest of at least four children in the house, where the DeSantis family has lived for about a year, neighbors said.

On the front lawn, visitors created a memorial of stuffed animals, candles, a card of condolence, and a copy of the children's book Goodnight Moon.