Father arrested in connection with toddler's accidental shooting death in Phoenix

The father of the toddler who was accidentally shot and killed in Phoenix Wednesday afternoon was arrested in connection with the death.

He has been identified by police as 29-year-old Joshua Lewis.

Phoenix police responded to reports of an accidental shooting at an apartment complex near 19th Avenue and Thunderbird Road around 4:17 p.m., according to police spokesperson Sgt. Andy Williams.

When officers arrived on scene, they found the toddler with a gunshot wound. The male toddler was taken to the hospital in critical condition, Williams said.

The toddler died as a result of his injuries. He was identified by police as Kayden Lewis.

Investigators learned that the boy's father kept a loaded gun in a place easily accessible to the toddler, Williams said.

Lewis told police that both he and the mother of the child had been lying in bed when the shot was fired, according to arrest documents. When asked what had occurred, he said that either the 2-year-old had shot himself or was shot by Lewis' other 3-year-old child.

The mother of the toddler told police that Lewis had owned the gun that was used for at least two months and that he had always carried it with a round in the chamber, according to court documents.

Lewis told police that he did not know if the gun was loaded but admitted that he knew the gun was within reach of the toddlers before the shooting, the arrest documents state.

Lewis was later booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of one account of child abuse. His bond was set at $250,000.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 24.

Republic reporter Jane Florance contributed to this report.

Reach breaking news reporter Amaris Encinas at amaris.encinas@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @amarisencinas.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Joshua Lewis arrested in connection with toddler's shooting death