In the summer of 2022, the life of 15-year-old Nykayia Strawder, a Black female, was tragically cut short in an instant of carelessness. On the evening of August 6th, Nykayia was on the front porch of her family's home in the Edmondson Village neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland, when a 9-year-old boy with a handgun approached. While in the company of other children, the boy was showing off the weapon when it discharged, a single bullet striking Nykayia in the head.
In the immediate aftermath, the young boy dropped the gun and fled the scene. Nykayia was rushed to a nearby hospital, but her injuries proved fatal.
The investigation into Nykayia's death quickly revealed that the 9-year-old boy could not be criminally charged due to his age under Maryland law. The focus of the investigation then shifted to how the child had come into possession of a loaded firearm. Detectives traced the weapon to a relative of the boy who worked as an armed security guard. The gun was registered to the boy's grandmother and legal guardian, April Gaskins. Gaskins admitted to investigators that the handgun was her personal weapon and that she had stored it on the floor of her bedroom closet, a room her grandson had access to and where he often watched television.
In February 2023, a grand jury indicted April Gaskins on charges of reckless endangerment and two counts of failure to secure a firearm with an unsupervised minor present. Her trial took place in July 2023, where she was found guilty of reckless endangerment and firearm access by a minor. During the sentencing hearing in September 2023, Nykayia's family delivered emotional victim impact statements, expressing their profound loss. Gaskins also spoke, tearfully expressing her sorrow to the family. The prosecution sought the maximum sentence of six years, while the defense argued for a suspended sentence. Ultimately, the judge sentenced April Gaskins to four years in prison, stating that her actions were reckless and careless. Her attorney announced plans to appeal the sentence.
