On the morning of November 22, 2021, four-year-old Ajani Lane was at his family home on North Negley Avenue in the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh when a gunshot was heard around 8:15 a.m. First responders found Ajani with a gunshot wound to the face; he was taken to a nearby children’s hospital in extremely critical condition and died a short time later.

Pittsburgh police described the shooting as a tragic accident and investigators believed Ajani had found a firearm in the home and unintentionally discharged it while in the care of a grandparent. Two guns recovered in the residence were reported to belong to Ajani’s father, Ronald Steave. No charges had been filed directly in connection with Ajani’s death, and the investigation remained open as of May 2022.

If anyone has information about what happened that morning or about firearm storage at the residence, please share what is known.