Officials said 10-year-old Kimani Thomas was killed Tuesday in an apparent accidental shooting outside a Government Street Sonic.
BATON ROUGE, La. — Baton Rouge leaders and residents were left mourning again Tuesday after a 10-year-old girl died in an apparent accidental shooting, marking the city’s second child gun death in less than 72 hours.
The girl was identified Wednesday as Kimani Thomas. Police said the shooting happened outside a Sonic Drive-In on Government Street on the afternoon of March 10. Investigators said an 8-year-old sibling was handling a gun inside a car when the weapon discharged and struck Kimani, who was outside the vehicle. The death quickly became more than a single crime scene, turning into a broader flashpoint in a city already grieving another child killed by gunfire days earlier.
Baton Rouge police said officers were called to the area around 4:15 p.m., with the coroner’s office placing the shooting around 4:12 p.m. Authorities said Kimani’s mother and stepfather both worked at the Sonic. Police said the stepfather was going into work and the mother was coming off her shift when the children were left with the car briefly. During that short window, police said, the younger child picked up a gun inside the vehicle and fired it. Kimani later died from her injuries. Chief TJ Morse said the department was reviewing surveillance video and interviewing witnesses to fill in the timeline and determine how the gun ended up where a child could reach it.
The response from public officials showed how raw the city’s grief has become. Metro Council member Carolyn Coleman, who represents the area, went to the scene and spoke emotionally about the loss. “When I see these eight and 10-year-old children, I think of my own, and think of those that I serve,” Coleman said. She said the deaths were especially painful because the victims were children, not adults caught in long-running disputes. Coleman also said the shooting should stand as a reminder about responsible gun ownership. Nearby resident Gregory Keith echoed that frustration, saying guns around children create obvious danger and calling the circumstances irresponsible.
This case landed only days after 8-year-old Davian Nicholas was fatally struck by a stray bullet while playing basketball in Baton Rouge, according to local reports. In that earlier case, authorities said gunfire broke out after an argument and multiple people were later arrested. The cases are not linked by motive or suspect, but they are linked in public memory by timing. One child was killed in crossfire during a dispute. Another died in what police believe was an accidental shooting involving a sibling and an unsecured firearm. Together, the deaths have renewed scrutiny on the steady toll of youth gun violence in the city and on the role adults play when firearms are left too close to children.
Police have not announced charges in Kimani’s death, and several key facts were still unresolved Wednesday. Authorities had not publicly identified the owner of the gun or said whether it had been stored legally. They had also not detailed whether the children were alone the entire time or how long the parents were away from the car. Morse said investigators were working through witness accounts and surveillance footage, a process that will likely determine whether prosecutors consider criminal negligence or other counts. For now, the case stands as both an active investigation and a deeply personal loss for a family whose workday ended in tragedy.
By Wednesday, Baton Rouge police were still sorting through evidence as the city waited for answers on the Government Street shooting and for the next public decision on whether charges will be filed.
Author note: Last updated March 11, 2026.