WACO, Texas — Editor's Note: The attached video was published in May when Elias Espinosa was first charged.
The father of a 22-month-old girl who died of a gunshot wound turned himself into police early Tuesday morning.
Jaylon Thornton is charged with injury to a child by omission.
According to police, Zillyana Thornton was shot May 11 after a gun was left unattended on a couch in a home near the 3500 block of Alta Vista Dr. The details of how the girl was shot remain under investigation.
Police said the gun belonged to Elias Espinosa who is a family member. He was arrested June 10 on a murder charge and tampering with evidence.
Video shows Jaylon delayed getting Zillyana to the hospital by six minutes, according to police.
"Detectives learned Jaylon was going to take Zillyana to the hospital but exited the car to retrieve a backpack of marijuana and told Espinosa to leave with it," according to a news release. "Espinosa left with the marijuana while Thornton waited for Zillyana’s mother to arrive."
Jaylon then went back into the house to get his house keys before leaving for the hospital, police said.
"Medical records and doctor’s analysis showed Zillyana’s heart was beating for 33 minutes after she was shot, and the autopsy determined that her wounds were not immediately fatal," the news release said. "If she had received medical aid earlier, she would have had a better chance for survival."
Police said the gun was registered stolen out of Corpus Christi.