Murder charges were dropped today in a case involving 18 year-old Fayaadh Gillard, a Philadelphia high school student who fatally shot his twin brother, Suhail, in a tragic accident.  Their father, Alleem Gillard, who is paralyzed from the waste down due to his own exposure to gun violence, was teaching the twins, from his wheelchair, how to load and unload a gun when Fayaadh shot his brother. 

Fayaadh initially told police that his twin had been shot by an unknown assailant in the lobby of the building, but later admitted to pulling the trigger accidentally and taking his injured bother downstairs on instructions from his father.  According to the family members, Alleem, who is a convicted felon, told his son to say that his twin had been shot in the lobby and not inside the apartment. Suhail Gillard later died of his wounds in the hospital.

After the charges were dropped, Fayadh’s lawyer said, “[t]his young man has lost his innocence in a way that he can never recover. He will require therapy for years to come.”

It remains possible that Alleem will be charged with the death of his son. “If you set into motion a series of events that are reckless and likely to cause death, that’s enough to charge a person with murder,” the lawyer added.

Both Gillard twins and their father, Alleem, were high school football stars in Philadelphia.

Sources:

Karma Allen, “Charges Dropped Against Philadelphia Teen Accused of Fatally Shooting Twin Brother,” ABC News (December 11, 2019).

Julie Shaw, “Philly DA Drops Charges Against Twin in Fatal Shooting of Brother, Says Boys’ Father, a Convicted Felon, ‘is Responsible’ for ‘Horrific Accident’” The Philadelphia Inquirer (December 11, 2019).