10-Year-Old Boy Charged With First-Degree Murder in Shooting Death of 7-Month-Old Girl in St. Louis
A 10-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a 7-month-old girl in St. Louis, a case that has drawn attention to the state's juvenile justice system and the dangers of unsecured firearms in homes with children.
The infant, identified as Kiyomi Parker, was found with a gunshot wound inside a home on the 8400 block of North Broadway on June 26. Police responded to the scene just after 4 p.m. and rushed the child to a local hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
Detectives said the 10-year-old boy admitted to using a gun that was stored under a mattress in the house and shooting the baby in the head. The boy has since been taken into juvenile custody and charged with first-degree murder, according to authorities. He may be the youngest person ever charged with murder in Missouri history, local news outlets reported.
The girl’s father, Ca'Marion Pawnell, 19, faces multiple charges, including second-degree murder, first-degree child endangerment resulting in death, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Court documents obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and local television stations reveal that Pawnell allegedly told investigators he owned the gun and had placed it under a mattress in the home. The boy was reportedly aware of the hiding spot and had taken the gun out before, per the probable cause statement.
A 7-year-old child was also present in the home at the time of the shooting, according to witnesses. The case has reignited concerns about firearm storage practices and the devastating consequences when children gain access to unsecured guns.
Under Missouri law, juveniles must be at least 12 years old to be certified to stand trial as adults. Because the boy is only 10, he will almost certainly be processed through the juvenile system, which focuses on rehabilitation rather than punishment. Legal experts say the case highlights a gap in the law and raises difficult questions about accountability for children too young to be tried as adults but old enough to cause fatal harm.
Community leaders and child safety advocates have called for stricter enforcement of safe storage laws and greater public education. The incident comes amid a broader national debate about gun violence and children, with a growing number of cases involving minors accessing firearms kept in homes.
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For more information on safe firearm storage and the most effective ways to protect children from unsecured firearms, visit BeSMARTforkids.org.
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