On the evening of December 17, 2020, 12-year-old Djaneira Mason was killed inside her family home on Van Buren Street in Kingston, New York. A seventh-grade student at J. Watson Bailey Middle School, she was struck in the head by gunfire and died instantly while home with her four siblings; her younger brother was wounded in the arm. Her mother had been out shopping when the shooting occurred.

Investigators say the attack was a case of mistaken identity. Prosecutors allege Gilbert Thomas, 24, fired an AK-47 into the house believing a rival who had stabbed his brother earlier that day was inside. Thomas was arrested and later convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years to life. Robert James, 46, who carried two long guns in a duffel bag to the scene and reportedly walked away when he realized children were present, was convicted on weapons charges and received a 20-year state prison sentence; his conviction was upheld on appeal in October 2024.

Djaneira was remembered as a loving, bubbly girl who wanted to become a teacher. Her mother has sought to have a local playground named in Djaneira’s memory. Does anyone have information about that night or memories of Djaneira to share?