The baby’s father also faces a second-degree murder charge tied to an unsecured gun, court documents say.
ST. LOUIS, MO — A 10-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder in juvenile court after police said he shot and killed 7-month-old Kiyomi Parker inside a north St. Louis home Friday afternoon.
The case has drawn sharp attention because of the age of the accused child, the age of the victim and the allegations that a gun was left where children could reach it. Police said the shooting happened just after 4 p.m. June 26 in the 8400 block of North Broadway, near Halls Ferry Road in the Baden neighborhood.
St. Louis Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the home for a shooting and found Kiyomi with a gunshot wound. Officers did what police described as a “scoop and go,” carrying the baby from the scene and placing her in the back seat of a police vehicle. An officer continued life-saving measures while other officers blocked traffic to get her to a hospital faster, police said. Kiyomi was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Police spokesman Mitch McCoy said detectives worked through the night before announcing Saturday that the 10-year-old boy had been issued a first-degree murder charge.
Court documents cited by local reports say witnesses told investigators the boy picked up a gun and shot the infant. Investigators said the baby was shot in the head. The boy, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, was taken into custody after the shooting. Police have not publicly released a full account of what happened inside the home before the gunfire. They also have not said whether any adults were in the same room at the moment the shot was fired.
The baby’s father, Ca’Marion Pawnell, 19, was later charged with second-degree felony murder, endangering the welfare of a child resulting in death and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child by creating a substantial risk. Court documents say Pawnell told investigators the gun was his and that he had placed it under a mattress in a bedroom. Investigators said the 10-year-old knew where the gun was kept, knew it was reachable for an extended period and said he had taken it out and touched it before. A 7-year-old child also was inside the home at the time of the shooting, according to the documents.
The 10-year-old is expected to move through the juvenile court system, not adult criminal court. Missouri law sets 12 as the minimum age for a child to be certified to stand trial as an adult in serious felony cases. Local reporting said the boy appears to be the youngest person in Missouri history to face a murder charge, though that finding has been described as based on available research, not a formal state declaration. Pawnell was being held without bond after the charges were filed.
The shooting came during a violent week involving young victims in St. Louis. Community leaders said the death of an infant added urgency to public concern over guns and children. James Clark, vice president of public safety and community response with the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, said, “We have watched too much go on for too long.” Lisa LaGrone, founder and CEO of Safe Streets, Safe Neighborhood, called the shooting “unacceptable” and said her first reaction was to pull over and gather herself when she heard a baby had been shot.
Police have identified the victim as Kiyomi Parker and said the investigation remains tied to juvenile court proceedings and the separate adult case against Pawnell. The next public milestone is expected to come through court filings as both cases move forward.
Author note: Last updated June 28, 2026.