Tytkeanna James was 12 when she died after an accidental shooting in Memphis on June 12, 2018. She and her 13-year-old brother were inside their mother’s SUV at the Greenbriar Apartments in the Frayser neighborhood when the brother found a semi-automatic pistol in the center console. The weapon discharged as he picked it up and a single bullet struck Tytkeanna. She was taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in extremely critical condition and died a few hours later.

Investigators determined the firearm had been negligently left in the vehicle. Tytkeanna’s mother, 33-year-old Katrena Blackshire, was charged with criminally negligent homicide related to the unsafe storage of the gun; the 13-year-old brother was charged with reckless homicide. City leaders cited the case as an example of the danger of unsecured firearms and urged residents to use gun locks and secure storage.

Did anyone in Frayser know the family or have information about where the weapon came from?