A family gathering in Newark turned fatal when 10-year-old Josiah Coleman was struck by a single bullet and died after being taken to a nearby hospital. Josiah, a fifth-grader who had recently moved to Newark from Pennsylvania, was visiting his father to celebrate his sister’s birthday. Friends and family remembered him as a loving child who enjoyed basketball and video games.

Police say an 11-year-old at the multifamily home on South 19th Street came into possession of a firearm and the weapon discharged, fatally wounding Josiah in the chest. Authorities describe the shooting as a tragic accident and say the investigation is ongoing. Josiah’s father, William Lowther, was arrested on a charge of criminal mischief after an alleged assault on an officer during the immediate aftermath; no one has been charged in connection with Josiah’s death.

If anyone was at the gathering or has information about how the firearm ended up accessible to the child, please share what you know.