4-Year-Old Killed After Finding ‘Draco-Style’ Gun Under a Pillow
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Four-year-old Janeda Little died from a gunshot wound to the chest in Milwaukee.
- ❖Dariana Little (aunt) and Anthony Brookshshire (aunt's boyfriend, convicted felon) were present and gave contradictory accounts.
- ❖Brookshshire admitted to storing the 'Draco-style' long gun under a pillow on the bed.
- ❖Police found a shell casing on the bed and determined the bullet trajectory originated from inside the room.
- ❖Autopsy results confirmed the child could not have fired the weapon herself due to its size and entry wound angle.
- ❖Brookshshire pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless homicide and firearm possession, sentenced to 15 years.
- ❖Little pleaded guilty to two counts of obstructing an officer and one count of disorderly conduct, receiving probation.
Insights
1Forensic Evidence Debunks Initial Alibis
Dariana Little initially claimed she was outside or changing her baby's diaper when the shot occurred, denying any knowledge of a gun. However, police used evidence like the bullet hole's internal origin, a casing found on the bed, and the specific 'Draco-style' weapon system to prove her story was impossible and that the incident happened exactly where the gun was found.
Police body cam footage showing blood and a bullet hole originating from inside the house (). Detectives explaining the recovery of a casing on the bed () and the bullet's trajectory ().
2Autopsy Results Contradict Self-Inflicted Injury Claims
Little suggested the child might have 'triggered' the gun, but the medical examiner's autopsy definitively ruled out the possibility of the 4-year-old shooting herself. The gun's size and the bullet's entry point made it physically impossible for the child to have pulled the trigger in the manner of injury.
Detectives stating, 'She necessarily wasn't handling that firearm. Just based the way the bullet went into her, where it came out, there's really no physical possible way for her to have fired that.' () and later, 'the doctor measured the length of the the gun... and your niece physically couldn't pull the trigger where the bullet entered her.' ()
3Conflicting Testimonies Reveal Cover-Up
Brookshshire, despite being a convicted felon prohibited from owning firearms, eventually admitted to storing the 'Draco-style' gun under a pillow on the bed. He also alleged that Little was the one who wrapped the gun in a blue jacket and placed it in his van after the shooting, directly contradicting her persistent denials of ever seeing or touching the weapon.
Brookshshire's admission of keeping the gun 'under a pillow' () and his claim that Little 'put the gun in the blue jacket' and in his van ().
Lessons
- Always secure firearms: Store all guns unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition, especially in homes with children.
- Be truthful with law enforcement: Providing false or misleading information can lead to additional charges, such as obstruction, and complicate investigations.
- Understand firearm safety: Educate yourself on how firearms operate, including loading, firing, and casing ejection, to prevent accidental discharges and understand potential risks.
Notable Moments
Police discover the bullet hole originated from inside the house, disproving initial claims of external involvement.
This early forensic finding immediately established that the shooting was an internal incident, narrowing the scope of the investigation to the adults present.
Detectives educate Dariana Little on basic firearm mechanics, highlighting the impossibility of her 'no gun' narrative.
This tactic aimed to break down her denial by demonstrating that her lack of knowledge about guns did not negate the physical evidence of a firearm's presence and discharge.
Anthony Brookshshire reveals he stored the 'long gun' under a pillow, a critical piece of information for understanding how the child accessed it.
This admission exposed the reckless storage of a dangerous weapon, directly linking it to the child's death and providing a motive for the subsequent cover-up.
Quotes
"A four-year-old doesn't just end up shot. Something clearly went wrong."
"What you're saying is not making sense. It doesn't make any sense. Because of how this how how this um you can see that there's two distinct holes that then go up into an upper hole, right? This was inflated. Um, and then we know what type of weapon system is it was because we have you print it out. In here. Um, so there was a casing recovered. Okay. On the bed."
"I honestly I hadn't been in there, so I don't remember."
"She necessarily wasn't handling that firearm. Just based the way the bullet went into her, where it came out, there's really no physical possible way for her to have fired that."
"The doctor measured the length of the the gun, where the trigger is in relation to the barrel and your niece physically couldn't pull the trigger where the bullet entered her. It wouldn't it couldn't happen. It couldn't happen. She couldn't have shot herself even by accident."
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