UPDATED: 2-Year-Old Boy Died Of Gunshot Wound

UPDATED: 3:05 p.m., Thursday:

Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub identified the boy who was killed as 2-year-old Julius Thornton.

Detectives remained at the scene at the Racquet Club Apartments off Veterans Highway as of 2 p.m. Thursday. They continued to mark evidence and document the scene at the D building.

A somber Weintraub told reporters in the afternoon that the investigation into what led to the 2 year old being struck in the head with a bullet, which led to a fatal wound, is still trying to be determined by authorities.

“We’re still investigating the nature of the act and who inflicted this wound on him. We felt it was imperative to make a preliminary arrest last night,” he said of the boy’s father’s arrest on child endangerment charges.

UPDATED: 11:21 a.m., Thursday:

Court papers in the endangering the welfare of a child case filed early Thursday morning against the deceased boy’s father shed new light on the incident.

Jorddan Marquise Thornton, 23, of Philadelphia, was arraigned at 4 a.m. by on-call District Judge Maggie Snow. She held him on 10 percent of $500,000 bail.

In court papers, a Middletown Township detective wrote that officers were called to the Racquet Club Apartments off Veterans Highway just before 9 p.m. Wednesday for a 9-1-1 call that a child had fallen and cracked his skull open.

An arriving patrolman, who is a military veteran, saw the 2-year-old boy and determined his bleeding head wound that was consistent with a gunshot injury. Thornton was outside holding the child, police said.

The boy was rushed by medics to St. Mary Medical Center and pronounced dead at 9:36 p.m., police said.

At St. Mary Medical Center, a doctor reportedly told officers the child suffered from injuries consistent with a gunshot wound.

Thornton told investigators that he was inside watching Netflix and his son, who was born on Christmas Eve 2017, fell asleep. The boy then was jumping on the bed and the father suspected he struck himself on the headboard, police said.

Thornton relayed that there were guns in the apartment, but they were stored in drawers, police said.

An investigator spoke with a neighbor who stated that she heard a loud bang that sounded like a gunshot coming from the apartment. About two minutes later, she heard a man screaming for help and saw Thornton holding the injured child in a towel saying “I’m sorry.”

The neighbor rendered medical aid to the child and noted that Thornton was hesitant. As she helped the gravely injured child, she observed serious head injuries, police said.

Police noted in the apartment that there was a gruesome scene in a bedroom.

Middletown Township police Chief Joseph Bartorilla said the case remained under investigation as of late morning.

Township and county detectives were at the scene processing evidence, including what appeared to be blood drops on the sidewalk outside.

Original Story:

The death of a 2-year-old boy in Middletown Township was under investigation as of Thursday morning.

Middletown Township and district attorney’s office detectives were outside of the D building at the Racquet Club Apartments off Veterans Highway after daybreak taking photos of the courtyard and using a drone to capture the view from above. At least 30 evidence markers were on the sidewalk.

A neighbor said police had spoken with a number of residents overnight.

The boy’s father was charged with endangering the welfare of a child early Thursday, but not directly with the boy’s death. He was held at the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $500,000 bail. Court papers were not immediately available.

Officers were called to the apartment around 9 p.m. for medical call. From there, the boy was rushed by medics to St. Mary Medical Center and pronounced dead, Middletown Township police Chief Joseph Bartorilla said.

“An exact cause of death will likely be determined later this morning at the autopsy. We are still at the scene gathering evidence and investigating,” the chief said.

Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.

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