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Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates announced on Thursday, Feb. 2 that a grand jury indicted April Gaskins, 54, for her alleged role in the fatal shooting on Aug. 6, 2022, when her grandson pulled the trigger, firing the bullet that killed Strawder.
Police said that the shooting was believed to be accidental, though others have reportedly questioned that determination.
Specifically, Gaskins was indicted for reckless endangerment and two counts of failure to secure a firearm with an unsupervised minor. The 9-year-old cannot be charged criminally under Maryland law.
Bates said that the indictment represents the hard stance lawmakers and law enforcement officials are taking on gun violence in Baltimore following a rash of recent shootings coming off a violent year throughout the region.
“This is an incredibly difficult case given the victim’s age and the circumstances surrounding her death,” he said in a statement. “While I cannot discuss the details of an open and pending case, it is evident that the grand jury’s decision exemplifies how gun violence is of the utmost importance in our city.
“It further underscores the seriousness of responsible gun ownership and proper gun storage,” Bates continued. “This is the first step in the long road to justice for the Strawder family, and my office will be there for them every step of the way.”
According to a GoFundMe that was created in the wake of Strawder's death, she was killed "defending her younger brother on the front porch of the home" when she was reportedly shot in the head.
The shooting led to a massive outcry from the community, which questioned how a child got ahold of the firearm and the events leading up to the fatal shooting.
“This indictment sends a strong message that we will hold accountable those who do not practice responsible gun ownership and secure their firearms,” Police Commissioner Michael Harrison added. “We must reinforce safe and secure firearm storage to ensure that these firearms do not end up in the hands of our young people or those wanting to use firearms to perpetuate violence in our city.
“Unsecure firearms correlate directly to firearms used to commit violent crimes, endangering the community,” he continued. Secure gun storage is a simple, common sense step that we can all take to prevent these tragedies from happening.”
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