Ryan Brown (left), 27, Qasseem Dixon (center), 25, and Demario Williams (right), 22, were each charged after Da’Myiah Barton-Pickens, 9, died in a drive-by shooting in Silverton, Ohio.
Two men are charged with murder, and a third is accused of helping them hide after a 9-year-old girl died in a tragic drive-by shooting in Silverton, Ohio.
“All three of these individuals are considered cowards,” Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey of Hamilton County said in a press conference on Thursday.
Ryan Brown, 27, is charged with aggravated murder and held on a $2 million bond, records show. Qasseem Dixon, 25, is charged with aggravated murder and having weapons while under disability, records show. He is held on a total bond of 2.6 million.
Investigators recovered an AK-47 and two other weapons, and they are working to determine which were used to fire 28 rounds at the home of Da’Myiah Barton-Pickens, 9, on Monday night. McGuffey spoke under the belief that the suspects used the AK-47 at the very least.
“The AK is a weapon of war,” she said.
One bullet struck Da’Myiah, according to authorities in a Cincinnati Enquirer report. She died at The Jewish Hospital.
Demario Williams, 22, is charged with carrying concealed weapons and having weapons while under disability. Records show he posted a $50,000 bond. He got involved by way of trying to help conceal the crime, McGuffey said.
“To lose a young girl in this manner — it’s unspeakable,” she said. “And frankly, all of us are angry and heartbroken over this tragic murder.”
The sheriff told reporters that investigators believe this was retaliation for a possible “drug issue.” The suspects’ real target was not even home, however, she said. It was just DaMyiah and two other people the sheriff did not name — a child and a woman.
The three suspects could each face more charges, she said.
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McGuffey said that Dixon and Williams crashed while fleeing from police. A woman got hurt when her car was “kind of clipped,” but though roughed up, she is fine, the sheriff told reporters. Brown was later arrested without incident, she said.
Those who knew Da’Myiah said she was vivacious, bright and fun with infectious energy, according to the Enquirer. She was a cheerleader for the West Side Panthers, a youth football team.
“She was loved by everybody,” her grandfather, Michael Barton Sr., told the outlet.
“Da’Myiah was the type of student you couldn’t help but love,” Joy Warfield, a staff member of Alliance Academy of Cincinnati, told the Enquirer.
You can donate here for a GoFundMe campaign to pay for her funeral.
Balloons were released this evening at Ryan Park in Westwood to honor 9-year-old Da’Myiah Barton-Pickens. Barton-Pickens was killed Monday evening in a drive-by shooting in Silverton. pic.twitter.com/nX0Zet2QSe
— WCPO 9 (@WCPO) July 13, 2023
Flowers sit outside of the home 9-year-old Da’Myiah Barton-Pickens was shot and killed. This is on Plainfield Drive in Silverton. The sheriff’s office is calling it a drive-by. I’ve learned Da’Myiah was a student at the Alliance Academy of Cincinnati. @Local12 pic.twitter.com/iE9Lddga1n
— Chelsea Sick (@chelseasicknews) July 12, 2023
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