KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County prosecutors charged a Grandview man last week in connection with the apparent self-inflicted death of a 2-year-old boy in November.
Just before noon on Nov. 2, 2024, police were called to a reported shooting.
Officers arrived to learn that a 2-year-old boy had been sitting on a couch inside a garage at the residence when he was able to get hold of a handgun that had been hidden underneath a couch pillow. Police said it appeared the boy accidentally shot himself.
The boy was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries.
At the scene, police detectives interviewed a suspect, later identified as Ronald Lewis, born in 2002. Lewis told detectives he was playing a video game in the garage and had left the handgun on the couch. After a few minutes, he heard a gunshot and found the boy had been shot.
As part of the investigation, police interviewed another person who said she had dropped the boy off at the residence around 10 a.m. so she could go to work. Lewis called her after the shooting to tell her what had happened.
The woman told police Lewis had been careless with storing his handgun in the past.
On April 16, prosecutors charged Lewis with one count of involuntary manslaughter.
Lewis is not listed as being in custody. Once arrested, prosecutors have requested a $30,000 bond.
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