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Kashaan Moses, 25, a former employee with Jewish Education Vocation (JEVS), which provides care for people with special needs and developmental disabilities, directed arriving officers to the wounded man, who was sitting in a chair in the front room by the front door of the Rosemont Avenue group home around 8 a.m. on April 10, according to the Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department.
Moses reportedly told investigators he accidentally shot 71-year-old Thomas Lavin on the left side of his face just below his left eye while trying to unload his gun to make sure there wasn't a round “in the head," according to local police and NBC Philadelphia.
Lavin was unresponsive when officers arrived on the scene and was taken to an area hospital for treatment where he still resides more than a month after the incident.
Lavin reportedly suffered a stroke, an aneurysm, having his left eye surgically removed, and having a stent placed in his carotid artery, NBC Philadelphia reports.
JEVS officials told NBC they had a “no weapons” policy which Moses was aware of since his employment orientation in 2014, the outlet reports.
"In my experience, the more a person claims that he or she is capable of safely retaining, storing, and handling a firearm, the less likely that is to be true," Upper Gwynedd police chief David Duffy said.
"My heart goes out to the victim and his family. The injuries suffered by the victim are truly horrible and will seriously affect him for the rest of his life.”
Moses was charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of simple assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of recklessly endangering another person.
He was arraigned before Judge Suzan Leonard and released after posting $25,000 unsecured bail, according to court records.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 3 at 12:45 p.m.
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