Nine-year-old Nyssa Irene Davis was killed on January 20, 2021, inside her North Philadelphia home when a firearm discharged and struck her in the head. At the time she was with her 12-year-old brother and a five-year-old cousin; no adult was present. Investigators say the cousin found the gun and unintentionally fired it.

The community held a vigil and balloon release at Peirce Elementary, where friends, family and classmates honored Nyssa with white, pink and purple balloons, her favorite colors. Her mother described her as a happy child who never seemed sad; a teacher said they wished for more time to have known her.

Legal action followed: police say the weapon belonged to Nyssa’s father, 39-year-old Blake Davis, and charged him with involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, and illegal firearms violations. Nyssa’s 12-year-old brother was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, after investigators alleged he had an influence on the five-year-old who fired the gun.

Did anyone in the community know Nyssa or have information about the household’s firearms storage?