Inset: Michael Tejeda (Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The street where Tejeda’s 3-year-old daughter used his gun to shoot his 1-year-old daughter (Google Maps).
In Kansas, a father is now facing a lengthy prison sentence following the tragic death of his 1-year-old daughter. The young child was fatally shot in the head by her 3-year-old sister, who had access to a handgun left unsupervised by their father.
Michael Tejeda, aged 26, recently admitted guilt to charges including second-degree murder and illegal possession of a firearm, as well as two counts of aggravated child endangerment, as per records from Sedgwick County court. These admissions came after prosecutors agreed to drop a more severe charge of first-degree murder linked to committing a felony.
The heartbreaking event took place on February 28, 2025, at the family residence located on South Santa Fe Street in Wichita.
Tejeda made the 911 call himself that evening to alert authorities about the incident, as detailed in an arrest affidavit reported by Wichita’s ABC affiliate KAKE.
During the call, Tejeda informed the dispatcher that his 3-year-old daughter had shot her baby sister and was overheard questioning the toddler about her actions.
The defendant told the dispatcher his older daughter shot his younger daughter and can be heard asking the 3-year-old “why she did that.”
Tejeda told police he fell asleep watching his children while their mother was out — and realized he left his handgun in a prop holster in the front of his waistband. He went on to tell investigators the fake holster did not have any retention and that a firearm could fall out if it turned upside down while in the holster. Tejeda added that he removed the gun from his waistband and put it on the mantel of the living room fireplace — which he estimated was about 4 feet tall.
“I knew better, should’ve put it somewhere else,” the defendant told police after the shooting, according to the affidavit.
Tejeda said the shooting itself happened while he was in his bedroom changing clothes. At some point, he said he heard a loud bang, followed by his daughter running toward her room crying.
When the defendant asked the girl what the sound was, the 3-year-old said she was sorry and that it was 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 affidavit reads. “Tejeda said he found his firearm lying on the couch next to [the child].”
The father explained to investigators that the 3-year-old had been “curious” about the gun before and had commented on it.
After the shooting, the girl was taken to a child advocacy center for a forensic interview, where she was “mostly interested in playing but did say she received an injury earlier in the day and received a Band-Aid,” according to the affidavit.
“She did not mention anything about the incident,” the affidavit explained.
As part of the plea agreement, the state and the defense will ask the judge to impose a midrange sentence under state guidelines and for the sentences to run consecutively, meaning one after another, according to local NBC and Telemundo affiliate KSNW.
Tejeda is slated to be sentenced on July 9.
