Father Michael Tejeda, 34, has been charged with multiple offences after his daughter shot her sibling with a gun that he allegedly left lying around the home while loaded

A three-year-old girl shot dead her one-year-old sister after finding a loaded gun in their home.

The fatal shooting happened shortly after father Michael Tejeda, 24, left the gun at his home in Wichita, Kansas, on the evening of February 28. In a call to the city's police department, Tejeda said his three-year-old old daughter shot his younger daughter.

The 911 operator noted hearing the dad ask the three-year-old "why she did that," and claimed she killed her sister. When Wichita Police Department (WPD) Sargent Keply arrived, he saw a firefighter carry out the tot from the home.

She was then taken to Wesley Medical Center and was pronounced dead at about 9:30pm that night. A neighbour told police he heard unknown man's voice on a phone about a shooting, according to documents obtained by outlet KAKE.

The children's mother arrived later and was taken to the police department where she was questioned. She claimed Tejeda called her via FaceTime and was told her daughter shot her one-year-old sibling.

The mum said she started to panic and told him to call 911 as she drove back home. When she arrived home, she grabbed the three-year-old, who kept telling her mum that she was sorry.

Tejeda was taken to the police department, and said he had been looking after the children while their mother was out. He added they were napping and watching TV, and that he fell asleep in the living room at about 6pm.

An affidavit obtained by the network said Tejeda reportedly woke up at about 8pm and realised he fell asleep with his handgun in a holster and that he removed it and placed it on the fireplace that he estimated to be about four feet tall.

After he got up a second time, Tejeda allegedly told officers he went into the bedroom and changed his clothes and as he was changing, he heard a loud bang. Seconds later, his daughter ran toward the room crying.

Tejeda is alleged to have asked what happened and where the sound had come from. The girl reportedly replied that she was sorry and that it had been his gun.

"He went into the living room and found [the 1-year-old] with a gunshot wound to her head while she was lying on the couch," the document added. "Tejeda said he found his firearm lying on the couch next to [the child]."

The affidavit said the girl had been "mostly interested in playing, but did say she received an injury earlier in the day and received a Band-Aid. She did not mention anything about the incident."

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

According to the Gun Violence Archive , a database that collects information about shootings from across the US, 54 children aged 0 to 11 have been fatally shot in the country since January 1. In 2024, 250 children in the same age range were fatally shot.