On July 10, 2023, 9-year-old Da'Myiah La’Bria Barton-Pickens was killed in a drive-by shooting at her home on Plainfield Road in Silverton, Ohio. Around 11:30 p.m., assailants fired about 28 rounds into the residence; one round struck Da’Myiah in the chest. She was taken to Jewish Hospital after life-saving efforts but did not survive. A 9-year-old friend, identified as M.G., was grazed by a bullet and survived. Da’Myiah’s grandmother, Laticia Copeland, was also in the home at the time.

Authorities say Ryan Brown, 27, and Qasseem Dixon, 25, drove to the house and opened fire in apparent retaliation for a prior drug-related incident; the intended target was not present. A third person, 22-year-old Demario Williams, was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and vehicular assault; weapons believed used in the shooting were recovered after a vehicle crash during a pursuit. Williams was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for his involvement. Da’Myiah was remembered as a vivacious cheerleader for the West Side Panthers, and her death prompted community marches and balloon releases calling for an end to gun violence.

Anyone with information about the shooting or the events that led up to it is asked to come forward.