In the quiet community of Lehighton, Pennsylvania, a heartbreaking incident unfolded on Sunday, May 24, 2020, leading to the death of two-year-old Christian Zawoiski. The young male's life was cut tragically short inside his home on Laurel Springs Road in East Penn Township. The cause of death was a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
On that Sunday afternoon, at approximately 4 p.m., emergency services were dispatched to the residence.
Lehighton paramedics arrived to find the child with a critical injury. They rushed him to St. Luke's Lehighton Campus, but his life could not be saved, and he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The subsequent investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police from the Lehighton barracks painted a grim picture of the circumstances that led to the devastating event.
The investigation revealed that Christian's parents, Andrew Zawoiski, 28, and Christina McFarland, 24, were present at the home at the time of the incident. It was determined that the toddler had gained access to a loaded 9mm Glock handgun that had been left unsecured in a basket in the living room. The basket also contained a children's book and toys. Investigators found that both parents were aware of the loaded weapon's location and had not taken measures to secure it from their child.
Further investigation into the home environment uncovered a scene of considerable neglect and danger. In addition to the unsecured Glock, police found an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle loaded with 30 rounds leaning against furniture in the master bedroom, and a loaded. 22-caliber pistol in an unsecured drawer. The residence also contained marijuana and pills. Both Andrew Zawoiski and Christina McFarland admitted to using Suboxone on the morning of the incident, with McFarland not having a prescription for the medication. Drug influence evaluations conducted by the police indicated that both parents showed signs of impairment.
As a result of the investigation, Andrew Zawoiski and Christina McFarland were arrested and faced a series of charges. These included involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children, recklessly endangering another person, and charges related to the possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. Their arraignment took place before District Judge Casimir T. Kosciolek of Lansford, where the details of their negligence came to light, leading to a legal process to seek justice for the untimely death of their young son.
