A 5-year-old girl, Layla Ramos, was fatally shot by her 9-year-old brother. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the incident took place on Tuesday evening inside their home near 7th Avenue and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Layla's mother, Delores Ramirez, reflected on the young girl's spirit in a statement acquired by 12News, saying, "My sweet daughter Layla was only five years old, but she filled our world with a love and light far beyond her years." She was urgently taken to a nearby behavioral hospital by family members before being transferred to a trauma center, where she succumbed to her injuries.
The Phoenix Police Department conveyed that they originally responded to reports of a stabbing, but soon discovered the actual nature of the emergency. The children's father, 33-year-old Irvin Ramos-Jimenez, was arrested following the shooting and taken into custody for possession of a weapon by a prohibited person.
During Ramos-Jimenez's trial, the state prosecutor highlighted the irresponsibility of the situation. "If this gun had not been in the house, we wouldn't have had the outcome that we did …," the prosecutor stated in court as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. In the wake of the incident, the Silent Witness program in Arizona encourages the public to offer tips surrounding crimes in their community, potentially rewarding up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest or indictment.
