In the early morning hours of July 30, 2016, a conversation between a young couple in a Southeast Washington apartment took a tragic turn, leaving a 19-year-old female named Anaiona Gaston dead. Gaston was with her boyfriend, 21-year-old Malik Fields, in a tenth-floor apartment on Good Hope Road SE. She was holding their two-month-old daughter on her lap at the time of the incident.
According to police, Fields and Gaston were engaged in a 'deep conversation' when the mood shifted to
playful banter. Fields told investigators that Gaston jokingly made a gun gesture with her hand and said 'pop, pop.' In response, he picked up his 9mm handgun, pointed it at her, and also said 'pop, pop,' believing the weapon was unloaded. A single shot was fired, striking Gaston in the forehead. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Immediately after the shot was fired, Fields claimed he tried to wake Gaston, but she was unresponsive. He then fled the apartment, taking the gun with him. His grandmother, who was also in the apartment, was awakened by the gunfire and called the police after seeing Gaston on the bed and Fields leaving. Police apprehended Fields a block away from the apartment building.
Malik Fields was arrested that morning and charged with second-degree murder. He later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to ten years in prison. While Fields maintained that the shooting was a tragic accident, the case raised questions about domestic violence. Anaiona Gaston's mother, an advocate for domestic violence victims, expressed her grief but also a desire for her daughter's story to raise awareness. She has been raising her granddaughter since the incident.
