BALTIMORE — Plenty of questions remain as Baltimore police investigate Saturday's shooting death of a 15-year-old girl.
Those questions include how did the alleged shooter, a 9-year-old boy, get access to the gun.
WBAL-TV 11 News spoke with the victim's parents who said their
daughter was the kind of person who could light up a room and make you
smile. Her family, including her three brothers and two sisters, is
grieving her loss.
The family of Nykayla Strawder wants her
remembered as a 15-year-old west Baltimore girl, full of life, who loved
TikTok and dreamed of becoming a fashion designer.
"When I think
of Nykayla, I think about joy. She was the kind of person that no matter
what you were going though, if she came into the room, you had to
smile," said Dontay Jones, Nykayla's father.
Strawder died Saturday. She was shot and killed on her own front porch. The alleged shooter is a 9-year-old boy.
Her parents said they heard the gunshot. One of their daughter's friends ran inside to tell them.
"Saying, 'Kayla was just shot. He just killed Kayla. Oh my God, he shot her in head,'" Jones said.
"I
couldn't bare to bring myself to come down those steps. God said,
'Don't go down those steps, don't go down there,' but my heart was
telling me to go down there," said Nykerah Strawder, Nykayla's mother.
"I tried to grab her. I tried to grab her."
Police called the
shooting accidental, saying witnesses claimed the boy was playing with a
loaded handgun. He dropped the gun and ran after firing it. Nykayla
Strawder's parents said they don't believe it. They said they think the
shooting was intentional and had nothing to do with their daughter.
Her
parents said three weeks ago, the 9-year-old got into an altercation
with their son on a basketball court. They said the boy had been hit
with a basketball and later made threats.
Police said they are unable to confirm or verify anything outside of the statement they provided.
Under
Maryland law, because of his age, the boy can't be charged. Police said
the gun is registered to an armed security guard, a female relative of
the boy. The victim's parents wonder how the child got access to the
weapon.
"A 9-year-old was able to get a hold of a gun and this -- And this boy has had this gun for weeks," Nykerah Strawder said.
Baltimore
Mayor Brandon Scott said he is worried about the impact and devastation
caused by the tragedy and said there should be consequences.
"It's
very simple. If you are a guardian and don't secure a weapon, a young
person has it and someone is killed, there has to be accountability for
you because you cannot be that reckless," Scott said.
The Mayor's
Office Of Safety And Engagement, along with other organizations, are
available for a coordinated neighborhood stabilization response,
checking on families and trying to assist them. The response will last
45 days.
Police said the investigation remains open. Police and
the state's attorney's office are looking into possible charges against
the gun owner.
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