In a heart-wrenching incident on May 25, 2015, a four-year-old African American girl named Makayla Manners died in her family's apartment in Yonkers, New York. The cause of her death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the face. Reports suggest that the young girl found a semi-automatic handgun in the apartment and accidentally shot herself. While initial reports indicated she was expected to live, Makayla succumbed to her injuries four days later.
The investigation into the tragic
event sought to determine how the child came to be in possession of the weapon. There were conflicting accounts regarding who was present in the apartment at the time of the shooting. Some neighbors reported that the mother and her boyfriend were arguing inside, while family friends claimed Makayla was with her aunt. A neighbor also stated that Makayla's mother, Tantania Manners, was outside speaking with friends while the child was being supervised by her aunt.
Nearly two years after her daughter’s death, in April 2017, Tantania Manners was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. The charges were not for directly causing her daughter's death, but for creating an unsafe environment that led to it. Authorities alleged that there was a presence of illegal, unsecured, and loaded firearms in the apartment, alongside the sale and use of narcotics. The theory behind the charge was that this dangerous environment allowed Makayla to find one of the firearms and shoot herself. Following her arrest, Tantania Manners was held on $5,000 bail. The available online sources do not provide information on the outcome of the criminal proceedings against her, including whether there was a trial, conviction, or sentencing. Furthermore, there is no information available regarding any other individuals being charged in connection with the firearms or drug activity in the home.
