Justice Toliver was 17 and living in Oakland’s Chinatown when she was fatally shot at her family’s home on January 23, 2014. Police say the shooter was her 14-year-old brother, Mario Toliver Jr., who fled the scene and turned himself in to the Oakland Police Department six days later with family and an attorney. Initial reporting described an argument over laundry, specifically that Justice had bleached her brother’s clothes; the defense later characterized the shooting as accidental.

Mario was charged in juvenile court with murder, personal use of a gun, and three counts of gun possession, and the prosecutor cited a history of threatening behavior. Justice was a mother who worked at McDonald’s and helped care for her child and grandmother; family and friends remembered her as caring. The case drew attention to how a 14-year-old obtained a firearm and prompted community calls for better gun control and support for affected families.

If anyone knew Justice, Mario, or has information about the firearm involved, please share what you know.