Police say a father stored an AR-style rifle in his young son’s bedroom, leading to the boy accidentally shooting and killing his 5-year-old sister at a south Phoenix home on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday, Phoenix police announced that 33-year-old Irvin Ramos-Jimenez was arrested in connection with the shooting.
Officers were dispatched to an “unknown trouble” call around 9:15 p.m. near 6th Avenue and Wier Avenue, which is south of Broadway Road. Ramos-Jimenez called 911 and initially told investigators that his daughter had been stabbed.
While officers were headed to the scene, they learned Ramos-Jimenez had driven off while rushing the girl to the hospital, family members said. Police found them near a psychiatric center near 7th Avenue and Buckeye Road to meet ambulances.
Emergency crews arrived and found the girl, later identified by family members as 5-year-old Layla Ramos, had been shot accidentally by her 9-year-old brother. She was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
As police were responding to the scene, they saw two vehicles, a Ford F150 and a Nissan Titan, leaving the area. Officers pulled the Nissan Titan over and found Ramos-Jimenez with blood on his clothes, according to court paperwork. He was then taken into custody.
Court paperwork states that Ramos-Jimenez told police that he was outside the home when he heard a loud bang from inside. He ran inside to his son’s room, where he found his daughter shot in the torso. Neighbors said the brother ran out of the house, frantic and screaming, after the shooting.
Investigators say Ramos-Jimenez admitted to storing an AR-style rifle in the top shelf of his son’s bedroom and said the boy must have grabbed it. He said after the shooting, he dropped his daughter and girlfriend off at the psychiatric center when he saw an ambulance.
Ramos-Jimenez said he then drove back home because there were other children home alone with the rifle. Once he returned home, investigators say he switched vehicles with his cousin to go back to the hospital because he didn’t have enough gas.
Detectives arrested Ramos-Jimenez after learning it was his rifle used in the shooting. Court documents say he has felony convictions for trafficking narcotics and is not allowed to own a firearm.
