A 31-year-old Tucson father has been arrested after his 4-year-old son accidentally shot himself in the foot with a firearm left unsecured inside their home, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies responded shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, October 8, to a residence in the 2500 block of West Curtis Road after receiving a report of an accidental shooting. The child was transported to a local hospital with injuries that authorities said were not life-threatening.

An investigation conducted by the sheriff’s department’s Special Victims Unit determined that the boy’s father, Tyler Lake, had left a firearm in a location accessible to the child.

According to local reports, the gun was sitting on a dresser in the master bedroom while two of Lake’s children were unattended in the room. Investigators determined that the unsecured weapon allowed the 4-year-old to gain access to it before the accidental discharge.

Lake was arrested and charged with one count of child abuse and two counts of child endangerment. He was booked into the Pima County Adult Detention Complex following his arrest.

Lake appeared in Pima County court on Friday, October 9, and was released to pretrial services. His next court appearance is scheduled for October 29.

The Arizona Department of Child Safety was notified following the shooting. Authorities have not reported any additional injuries connected to the incident.

The sheriff’s department used the case to warn gun owners about the dangers of leaving firearms unsecured in homes where children are present.

“Unsecured firearms can have serious, potentially fatal consequences,” the department said, urging gun owners to keep weapons locked away and out of children’s reach.

The incident underscores the potential consequences of leaving firearms accessible to young children, even inside a private residence. While the child’s injuries were not considered life-threatening, authorities have emphasized that unsecured weapons can turn an accidental encounter into a fatal shooting.