What to Know
Ca’Marion Pawnell and Janyla Parker, both 19, loved their baby, Kiyomi Pawnell-Parker. Tragically, the pair lost the 7-month-old baby girl to gun violence on June 6, 2026, inside a St. Louis residence.
A 10-year-old, who reportedly used Pawnell’s gun, faces first-degree murder charges in Kiyomi’s death. Pawnell now faces a second-degree murder charge along with child endangerment charges after admitting he left the gun accessible to children. That mistake left an entire family devastated.
There were multiple children in the home at the time of the fatal shooting.
According to court documents, the shooting occurred around 4 p.m. in the 8400 block of N. Broadway. St. Louis Metropolitan police arrived at the residence and found Kiyomi with a bullet wound to the head.
Emergency responders transported her to a nearby hospital, where staff pronounced her dead. Witnesses told police a 10-year-old boy picked up the firearm and allegedly shot the baby. In addition to the two children, a 7-year-old child was also in the home, but unharmed.
The 10-year-old allegedly implicated Pawnell.
Per the probable cause statement, the 10-year-old reportedly told police he knew that Pawnell kept the firearm under a mattress in a bedroom. He admitted to handling the gun prior to the fatal shooting, claiming it was accessible to him for a long period of time.
When speaking with police, Pawnell reportedly admitted that the firearm was his and that he put it under the bed just as the 10-year-old suggested.
The shooting marks a second tragedy for Pawnell’s family.
A woman who posts under the name CiCi TheLoctician on Facebook shared a heartbreaking story about the Pawnell family. He sister was reportedly murdered in June 2020 in St. Louis, and now her brother stands accused of murdering his daughter.
“All in the same weekend I know somebody lying this s–t so unfair bro I AM NOT F—–G OK 2siblings and a niece man my head been hurting all weekend bro. I literally watched them grow up from babies and being the big sister this s–t so unfair bro like why life gotta be so f—–g hard like this. Why tf ain’t nobody helping our Brown Boys?? My baby was on his way to college bro with a baby at 19 this s–t gone hurt him for the rest of his life mourning my sister and in the same week mourning my niece and brother in jail daddy ain’t handling this s–t well he tired I’m tired we tired THIS S–T TOO MUCH,” the grieving woman wrote.
Kiyomi’s family created a GoFundMe to help with her final expenses.
“At just 19 years old, I never imagined I would be planning my seven-month-old daughter’s funeral instead of watching her grow. My precious baby, Kiyomi Pawnell-Parker, was taken from me far too soon due to a senseless act of gun violence. No parent should ever have to experience this kind of heartbreak,” Parker wrote.
She’s raised nearly $700 of a $5,000 goal thus far.
Pawnell currently awaits his next court date in the St. Louis City Justice Center. He faces three charges of first-degree child endangerment and a second-degree murder charge. Under Missouri law, a person must be 12 years old to face adult charges. The 10-year-old suspect will likely be charged as a juvenile.
