Arizona Father Indicted on Felony Charges After 9-Year-Old Fatally Shoots 5-Year-Old Sister
Indictment cites child abuse and weapons offenses after firearm stored in boy's bedroom led to tragedy
An Arizona father, Irvin Ramos-Jimenez, 33, was indicted on multiple felony charges after his nine-year-old son used an AR-style rifle to fatally shoot his five-year-old daughter, Layla, inside the family’s home on June 3, authorities said. The indictment, announced Wednesday by Maricopa County police, includes one count of child abuse, a class three dangerous felony, along with a domestic-violence offense and additional counts of misconduct involving weapons and unlawful possession of a firearm. A Phoenix jury had previously indicted him on one count of child abuse in August. The case is moving toward a March 2026 trial date, prosecutors said.
Investigators said Ramos-Jimenez stored the AR-style rifle on a high shelf in his nine-year-old son’s bedroom closet, a location the boy could easily reach. On the night of the shooting, the boy reportedly found the weapon and fired, striking Layla in the torso. She was initially taken to a psychiatric hospital where the family sought medical help, then transferred to a trauma hospital and pronounced dead there. Ramos-Jimenez fled the psychiatric ward when ambulances arrived to take Layla to the trauma center, later returning home to tend to his other children as police investigated. He was arrested that day on the weapons offense.
Prosecutors noted that Ramos-Jimenez had a prior drug-trafficking conviction and was not legally permitted to own a firearm. He purchased the weapon illegally through a private sale, even after acknowledging to police that he knew he was not allowed to possess a gun. Arizona law does not require background checks for private gun sales. 12 News and the Arizona Republic reported on the broader legal and procedural details surrounding the case, including the nature of the charges and the timeline of events. Layla’s family has spoken publicly about the tragedy and has set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses, describing Layla as a “little princess who got her wings way too soon.”
The indictment underscores ongoing concerns in U.S. politics about gun safety and storage practices, including the risks posed when firearms are kept in residential settings and accessible to children. Officials emphasized that the case will proceed through the courts, with Ramos-Jimenez facing multiple felonies related to child protection and firearms, while the trial date remains set for March 2026.