Othello man tells police he accidentally shot, killed 4-year-old son

An Othello man told police he accidentally fatally shot his 4-year-old son in the head Saturday, according to an Othello Police Department news release.

Othello Police Chief Phil Schenck said Felipe Tapia-Perez, 27, was in his car and his son was outside by the passenger side window when the father discharged his gun in the 300 block of Hamlet in Othello.

Schenck said, until police can confirm it was accidental, they’re investigating the death, as they would with any suspicious fatality.

The family brought the boy to a local hospital as they waited for a LifeFlight helicopter to fly the boy to a Spokane hospital, the release said. The boy died some time after being transferred to the helicopter, Schenck said.

Tapia-Perez was cooperating with law enforcement Saturday while the Washington State Crime Lab assisted with the forensic investigation, according to the release.

Schenck said the man appeared to be “emotionally affected,” though that doesn’t change the investigation.

Tapia-Perez was booked into Adams County Jail around 10 p.m. Saturday night, according to the jail roster.

Police recommended charges of second-degree manslaughter, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm as an undocumented immigrant, according to the release.