photo by: Dylan Lysen/Journal-World

Lawrence police block off an area near a reported shooting Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in the 1500 block of Wedgewood Drive in eastern Lawrence.

A Lawrence man has been charged with multiple felony offenses in connection with an accidental shooting that killed a toddler last month.

Bishop I. Mendoza, 21, was formally charged in Douglas County District Court on Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated endangering a child and theft, all of which are felonies.

The manslaughter charge, a level-five felony, is the most serious charge. According to state sentencing guidelines, a conviction on that charge could mean either probation or a prison sentence. The guidelines recommend 36 months of probation or a minimum of 31 months in prison.

A charging document provided to the Journal-World on Tuesday alleged that Mendoza was responsible for the death of the toddler, who was just over 2 years old at the time. He is also accused of putting the lives of the toddler and another child, who was almost 4 at the time, in danger.

Meanwhile, the theft charge accuses Mendoza of stealing a firearm that belonged to someone else. The firearm is listed as a Glock 23 Gen4 semi-automatic handgun.

Mendoza was originally arrested on Sept. 24, the Journal-World previously reported. Patrick Compton, spokesman for the Lawrence Police Department, said in a news release at the time that Mendoza had been arrested in connection to a shooting that occurred on Sept. 17 in the 1500 block of Wedgewood Drive.

Officers responded to the shooting around 10:45 a.m. and found a 2-year-old who was critically injured, the Journal-World reported. The child was taken to LMH Health but was later pronounced dead, Lt. David Ernst said at the time.

Early in the investigation, Ernst said the shooting appeared to be an accident. Police later identified the 2-year-old as Legend King of Lawrence.

Mendoza was released from custody on Sept. 25 after posting a $25,000 bond, according to court records. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 2.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office declined to release Mendoza’s booking photo to the Journal-World.