SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — A Sandy Springs family is mourning the loss of their son after he accidentally shot himself earlier this week.
River Willis, 2, found his father’s gun in a fanny pack left on the bed and shot himself.
His father, Richard Willis, was charged with second-degree murder and cruelty to children. He remains in the Fulton County Jail without bond.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
But River’s mother is sharing more about the special bond between her husband and son, calling it “something sacred.”
“I loved watching his father playfully toss him onto the bed, and our son would squeal with that deep, uncontrollable belly laugh, the kind that filled every corner of the house and forced you to laugh right along with him,” she wrote. “That sound was pure happiness. And the way his daddy looked at him in those moments, like there was nothing else in the world that mattered, is something I will carry with me forever.”
She remembers River as being “curious, joyful, full of energy.”
TRENDING STORIES:
- High school student dies from ‘extremely rare’ flu complication, family says
- Twelve Midtown Hotel evacuated for power, water issues
- Del Taco Georgia locations close
She says the family is trying to learn how to live as a family of three and stay strong for their surviving child.
“Seeing them together was love in its purest form, a father pouring his whole heart into his son, and a little boy who absolutely adored his daddy,” she wrote.
You can donate to the family’s GoFundMe to help offset funeral costs here.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
