San Diego County: Two arrested in accidental shooting of toddler in Ramona
A man and woman have been arrested in connection with the accidental shooting of a toddler, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded on the morning of Sunday, October 3, to a medical center in Santee, where a two-year-old girl was being treated for a gunshot wound to her leg. The Sheriff’s Office reports that her condition was stable and she is expected to make a full recovery.
Deputies learned that the girl had been brought in — by her mother, 20-year-old Victoria Tejeda; Tejeda’s boyfriend, 18-year-old Ramon Estrada; and Tejeda’s older brother — after being accidentally shot in the leg while Estrada was trying to disassemble a loaded and illegally possessed gun at the family home in Ramona.
Investigators allege that neither Tejeda nor Estrada made any attempt to contact emergency services, instead driving the girl to a nearby clinic, which turned out to be closed. They then drove her to the medical center in Santee.
There, Estrada reportedly hit the gun in the bushes outside, but later told deputies what happened and where he hid the gun, which they then recovered.
Estrada was arrested and booked on suspicion of child neglect, child neglect, and negligently discharging a firearm. Tejeda was arrested and booked on suspicion of child neglect and child endangerment, but later posted $100,000 bail.
The toddler is in the custody of Child Protective Services, authorities say.
