On April 10, 2022, eight-year-old Ja’Myiah Hall was playing with other children in the Sherwood Cove area of Marion, Arkansas, when real gunfire suddenly erupted. The children scattered and Ja’Myiah was found near a vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head. She was taken to a children’s hospital in Memphis and died of her injuries.

Witnesses said an altercation nearby led a woman to take a handgun and fire; the bullet reportedly ricocheted off a parked vehicle and struck Ja’Myiah, who was not the intended target. Authorities identified 24-year-old Shantia Nicole Montgomery as the person who fired the weapon and arrested her on charges including first-degree murder, a terroristic act, and tampering with physical evidence.

A Crittenden County jury found Montgomery guilty on all counts in January 2023 and recommended a 126-year sentence, which the circuit judge imposed. Ja’Myiah’s father said he felt relief after the verdict. If anyone knew Ja’Myiah or saw the events that night, please share what you remember.