Loaded Gun Left on Mantel: Kansas Father Charged After Toddler's Fatal Shooting  She was three years old. He was supposed to be the adult.

It’s hard to imagine a more disturbing combination of tragedy and negligence than what allegedly happened on the night of February 28th in a small Kansas home. Michael Tejeda, a 25-year-old father, is now facing murder charges after police say his toddler daughter got hold of his gun — and used it to shoot and kill her 1-year-old sister.

Tejeda is in custody with the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office. He was booked on March 1st, but the newly released arrest affidavit paints a horrifying picture of what unfolded in his living room that evening.

At some point that night, Tejeda called 911. On the call, he reportedly told the dispatcher that his 3-year-old daughter shot his 1-year-old daughter. In the background, you can allegedly hear him asking the toddler, “Why she did that.” It's a question that has no answer — and one no child should ever be asked.

When first responders arrived, the 1-year-old was still alive but gravely wounded. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead just before 9:30 p.m.

According to what Tejeda told investigators, the children’s mother had gone out earlier that evening. She left the girls in his care while she was at a friend’s apartment getting tattoos. Tejeda said he fell asleep on the couch while the girls were napping and watching TV. When he woke up around 6 p.m., his loaded handgun — which had been tucked into a "prop" holster in the front of his waistband — was apparently still there.

But two hours later, he realized the gun had shifted. He removed it from the holster and placed it on the fireplace mantel — a spot he estimated to be about four feet high. He admitted to police that the holster had no retention, meaning it couldn't hold the gun securely. If it tipped or moved, the gun could fall out. So he placed the loaded firearm, within reach, and then went into his bedroom to change clothes.

And that’s when he heard the bang.

According to the affidavit, Tejeda said his 3-year-old daughter came running to her room crying. When he asked what happened, she allegedly told him, “It was your gun. I’m sorry.”

He rushed back into the living room and found his 1-year-old daughter lying on the couch with a gunshot wound to the head. The gun, he said, was next to her on the couch.

It’s the kind of moment that freezes time — but in this case, it also raised serious legal questions. Because as horrifying as it is, none of this appears to have been an accident in the eyes of the law. It was, allegedly, criminal negligence.

During the investigation, Tejeda also told police that his daughter had been curious about the gun before. She’d made comments about it. It wasn’t new to her — she’d noticed it. Asked about her day during a forensic interview, the 3-year-old said nothing about the shooting. Instead, she wanted to play. She mentioned getting a Band-Aid earlier, but no more. Whether that was innocence, trauma, or just the way a 3-year-old brain processes something unthinkable… no one can say.

The girls’ mother told police she was finishing her tattoos when Tejeda called her. He told her the older girl had shot the baby. She reportedly told him to call 911 and raced home. When she arrived, she grabbed her older daughter, who was repeating that she was sorry.

It’s impossible to ignore the gut punch of this situation. A 3-year-old allegedly pulled the trigger, but it was an adult who left a loaded weapon within reach. And that’s what the law is focused on.

Michael Tejeda has been charged with first-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, and two counts of aggravated child endangerment.

#GunSafety #TrueCrimePodcast #KansasNews #ParentalNegligence

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