Woman Was Drinking Tequila Shots with Friends When a 4-Year-Old Found Her Gun and Fatally Shot a Young Boy

A Kansas woman has been sentenced to just over three years in prison after a child found her gun and accidentally shot and killed a young boy.

On Thursday, Oct. 16, Tasha Dillard, 25, was sentenced to 37 months behind bars after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and six counts of aggravated child endangerment, according to local outlets KWCH, KAKE, and The Wichita Eagle. Dillard was originally charged with first-degree felony murder in the death of 7-year-old Davion Gunter.

The tragedy took place on March 16 in Dillard’s Wichita apartment, located in the Planeview neighborhood. Court documents cited by KAKE show that while several young children were inside, Dillard and a few friends were outside in her parked car, drinking tequila shots.

Dillard told police she had been hosting a small gathering for friends and that the adults went to the parking lot “to continue drinking,” according to The Wichita Eagle. She also admitted to consuming alcohol throughout the day.

While inside without supervision, a 4-year-old child discovered a loaded gun in Dillard’s purse, which had been left on the kitchen counter. The child accidentally shot Gunter in the upper torso, according to The Wichita Eagle and KAKE. The 7-year-old was rushed to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Authorities said the 4-year-old told police that he and the other kids had been “playing guns” and that he thought the real weapon was a toy. Other children also said they had been playing earlier with an orange toy gun and believed Dillard’s firearm was fake.

According to Law & Crime, one of the women at the apartment told investigators that Dillard had recently bought a firearm. At first, Dillard denied owning a gun, but later admitted she did and said she had hidden it behind her purse. She also told investigators that one of her friends had moved the gun onto the counter after taking a video with it to “look cute” for social media.

During her sentencing hearing, Dillard broke down in tears, telling the court she “never intended for anybody to get hurt” and added, “I wish I had never been outside that night,” The Wichita Eagle reported.

The victim’s mother, Ataya Johnson, who was friends with Dillard, asked the court for leniency, urging the judge to grant probation instead of prison time. “I don’t think that she deserves to go to prison,” Johnson said during the hearing, calling Dillard “a really good person” who “wouldn’t hurt anybody.”

In a GoFundMe campaign created in March, Johnson wrote that her son was “taken from us too soon,” describing him as a joyful and vibrant child whose spirit “will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and the entire community.”