Texas parents were charged with making a firearm available to a chiId after their child allegedly used an unlocked firearm to fatally shoot his classmate, 14-year-old Anaia. The incident took place on March 21, 2025, following an altercation between the two children on their school bus. After coming home, the shooter, 13, pulled a revolver from an unzipped travel suitcase in his parents’, Keneth and Casie’s, bedroom, which he had discovered weeks previously when looking for hair trimmers. He proceeded to the victim’s apartment complex and shot her near a playground.
When the victim noticed the attacker with the firearm, she tried to flee but was shot four times. She later died in a hospital. Court filings show that the youngster used a weapon that his parents had properly failed to secure.
The youngster, whose identity has not been released owing to his juvenile status, came home after the incident and returned the gun to the location where he discovered it. He has been charged with murder and will be tried as a juvenile.
Authorities in Texas discovered that the pistol was easily available for the youngster because it was stored in a zippered bag with no locking mechanism to prevent access.
Texas investigators sought to speak with the parents the day after the shooting, but they declined to give a statement, claiming legal representation. A CPS caseworker also indicated that the parents refused to help with the investigation, most likely to prevent self-incrimination.
The parents have been charged with making a firearm accessible to a child, which is a misdemeanor, but they have yet to be detained. The situation has frustrated the victim’s family, who believe the charges against the boy’s parents are insufficient.
Josef, the victim’s father, discussed the emotional toll of the event. “It’s been quite hard. Every day, as the buses pass by, I search for my child. “It’s just been overwhelming,” he explained.
The shooter was charged with murder and is being placed in a juvenile correctional center. Although his parents remain unarrested, a conviction could result in a year in prison for them. ​
The victim’s family expressed anguish and demanded accountability, underlining the significance of safeguarding firearms to prevent similar tragedies.
This case illustrates gun owners’ legal and moral duties to store weapons securely, particularly in households with children. ​
