Crime & Justice
6-year-old girl fatally shot at home days after teen brother died in separate shooting
A 6-year-old Dallas girl was fatally shot at home with an unattended gun while her mother was planning a funeral for her 14-year-old brother.
6-year-old Ah’Laynah Modica-Ross was fatally shot at home with an unattended gun while her mother was out planning a funeral for her 14-year-old brother.
6-year-old girl fatally shot in Dallas
Ah’Laynah’s mother Brittney Ross was alerted about the shooting as she was at a local funeral home dressing her 14-year-old son, Ah’Bralen Rider, who died on New Year’s Eve.
Arrest in connection to 6-year-old girl being shot
Damariya Sowels, 19, has been arrested on suspicion of tampering with physical evidence and over unrelated warrants.
Investigators said he told them that he brought two guns to the home and left one, a MAC-10, unattended on top of a PlayStation game console in a bedroom on the third floor.
After the shooting, Sowels allegedly retrieved the MAC-10 before investigators arrived and put it in a backpack along with the other gun, a Glock 40.
Authorities say Sowels hid the bag in the garage, where crime scene investigators later found it.
While Sowels was arrested in connection to the shooting, it’s not immediately clear how Ah’Laynah was shot.
A report by CBS said the 6-year-old found the loaded hand gun.
Despite Sowels arrest, Ross is defending the 19-year-old accused of bringing the weapons into her home, saying she has known for the teen for years and that he would never have harmed any of her children.
Ross says Sowels needed the guns for “protection” after he and her surviving son received threats following the shooting death of her 14-year-old.
Mourning the loss of two children
Ah’Laynah’s older brother Ah-bralen “Bra” Rider was shot Dec. 29 at a friend’s apartment and died on New Year’s Eve.

Ah’Bralen Rider (Photo: Gunviolence.org)
Ross spoke about her son’s death in a television interview with Dallas station KTVT-TV with Ah’Laynah by her side.
A week later she’d be telling the news her daughter was killed, “overwhelmed” by the loss of her two children.
Grief striken, Ross told the station that Ah-bralen and Ah’Laynah will be buried together.
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help raise money for funeral expenses.
Ross has four surviving children.
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