Jaliyah Katherine Watts, an 11-month-old female, died on June 5, 2026, after a shooting inside an apartment in the Orlando, Florida, area. She was killed alongside her 2-year-old sister, Tiana Rae Watts, in what authorities described as a murder-suicide carried out by their father, 33-year-old Bryant Darrell Watts. The shooting happened at the Palmetto at Lakeside Apartments on South Rio Grande Avenue in Orange County, near Orlando.
The tragedy began when deputies were called to the
apartment complex around 6:30 p.m. after reports that a man with a gun was chasing a woman. Deputies found the woman unharmed, but she told them she was worried about her children, who were still inside a nearby apartment. As deputies approached the unit, they heard gunfire coming from inside. When they forced their way in, they found the two young sisters suffering from gunshot wounds and their father dead from what investigators said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Jaliyah and Tiana were rushed to a hospital after deputies tried to render aid, but both girls died from their injuries. Jaliyah was just weeks away from her first birthday, which family members said would have been later in June. Relatives described both children as joyful, loving, and full of life. Family members remembered Tiana as bubbly and affectionate, while Jaliyah was described as energetic, outgoing, and the kind of baby whose smile brightened the room.
Authorities identified Bryant Watts as the suspect in the killings. Because he died at the scene, there was no arrest, no criminal prosecution, and no pending trial in connection with the girls’ deaths. Investigators said there was no ongoing threat to the community after the shooting.
In the days after the killings, more details emerged about Bryant Watts’ background and the family’s circumstances before the shooting. Court records showed that Watts had been facing a misdemeanor battery charge connected to an alleged domestic violence incident from November 2025. According to reports based on court documents, he was accused of hitting his girlfriend during a dispute and had a pretrial conference scheduled the day before the shooting. He reportedly did not attend that hearing, and a trial date had been set for June 23, 2026.
Records also showed prior weapons-related charges in Bryant Watts’ history. He had faced felony weapons charges in 2014, with prosecutors taking no action on one charge while he pleaded no contest to another, though adjudication was withheld. In 2017, prosecutors declined to pursue another weapons-related felony case against him. Reports also noted prior drug possession convictions and that the apartment complex had begun eviction proceedings earlier in 2026 over unpaid rent, though the eviction did not move forward after the balance was paid.
Family members later gathered with the community for a vigil outside the apartment complex where Jaliyah and Tiana had lived. The vigil became a place for grief, disbelief, and remembrance, as relatives tried to make sense of the deaths of two children who had only begun their lives. Loved ones spoke about the pain Jaliyah and Tiana’s mother was facing after losing both of her children in a single evening, and relatives urged others to check on loved ones, pay attention to signs of crisis, and understand that gun violence is never an answer.
