A 1-Year-Old Is Dead. Her Father Had No Business Owning That Gun.

On February 28, 2025, a 1-year-old girl in Wichita, Kansas was shot in the head by her 3-year-old sister. She did not survive.

Last week, their father — Michael Tejeda, 26 — pleaded guilty. The charges: second-degree murder, criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, and two counts of aggravated child endangerment, according to Sedgwick County court records obtained by Fox News Digital and local NBC affiliate KSNW.

It's a preventable tragedy caused by cascading failures of personal responsibility.

What Actually Happened

Tejeda was home watching his two young daughters on the afternoon of February 28 while the children's mother was away. He was carrying a handgun in what he described to investigators as a prop holster — a decorative or costume-grade holster that did NOT properly secure the firearm.

At some point, Tejeda removed the gun and set it on the mantel above the living room fireplace. Then he went into another room to change clothes.

He fell asleep.

A few minutes later, he heard a loud bang. He walked back into the living room and found his 3-year-old daughter crying. His 1-year-old was lying on the couch with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the arrest affidavit obtained by Wichita ABC affiliate KAKE. The firearm was on the couch beside her.

Tejeda called 911 and told dispatchers exactly what happened. He later admitted to investigators that his 3-year-old had previously shown curiosity about the firearm before the shooting. He knew. He did nothing differently.

"I knew better, should've put it somewhere else," Tejeda told police, according to court documents cited by Fox News Digital.

He Was a Convicted Felon With a Gun

Tejeda wasn't just a negligent gun owner. He was a convicted felon in illegal possession of a firearm.

That's a federal crime on top of the state charges. He could NOT legally own, purchase, or carry a firearm under any circumstances — regardless of Kansas state law, regardless of how he stored it.

This isn't a story about whether gun laws are strict enough. Those laws already existed. Tejeda broke them. A child died because of it.

The Plea Deal

Prosecutors in Sedgwick County originally charged Tejeda with first-degree murder committed during the commission of a felony — a far more serious charge. As part of the plea agreement, that charge was dropped.

What he's facing instead: second-degree murder plus the weapon and child endangerment charges, with sentences expected to run consecutively under Kansas sentencing guidelines. Both the prosecution and defense are expected to recommend a midrange sentence, according to KSNW.

Sentencing is scheduled for July 9.

The 3-year-old who pulled the trigger is still alive. She was taken to a child advocacy center for a forensic interview after the shooting. According to the affidavit, she did not discuss the incident during that interview. She's three years old.

What Mainstream Coverage Is Missing

Most outlets are running this as a straight crime brief. But several critical questions remain unanswered.

How did a convicted felon obtain a firearm in the first place? Was he purchasing illegally? Through a straw purchase? Had the weapon been reported stolen? The sources available — Fox News Digital, KAKE, KSNW — don't answer those questions. Law enforcement hasn't said publicly.

If there's a supply chain of illegally obtained firearms reaching the hands of convicted felons in Wichita, that's a public safety story.

Also absent from coverage: any accountability discussion around the prop holster. Who manufactures and sells holsters that cannot safely secure a loaded firearm? Is that even a regulated product category? These are questions worth asking.

The Aftermath

Gun ownership is a constitutional right. It is also a responsibility. A loaded firearm on a fireplace mantel, in a home with toddlers, while the adult in charge is asleep, is negligence that killed a baby.

And that's before considering that Tejeda had no legal right to possess that weapon at all.

The right to bear arms depends on gun owners treating firearms with the seriousness they demand. Irresponsible owners undermine the argument for gun rights far more effectively than any legislation.

A 1-year-old girl is dead. Her father said he knew better. He's right. Sentencing is scheduled for July 9.