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Ky'Marley Mikel Harrington

Age 4

Oakdale, Louisiana

Who would protect his sister now?

Every day he told his mom, “Mommy you're so pretty. I love you! You're the best mom in the world.” Sports, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and, most of all, his sisters made him happy.

His mother proudly called him “his sisters’ protector.” You couldn’t separate him from them, she said.

On June 23, 2018, 4-year-old Ky’Marley Mikel Harrington accidentally shot himself after finding a .40 caliber handgun in his Oakdale, Louisiana, home.

By Scarlett Liriano Cepin · Age 19
Meet the Reporters

More than 300 siblings

Jontae Billups-Brooks

An athlete and a music lover

Lorenzo Moore-Vaughn

About to start his senior year

Ramand Kassadine Davis

Happy in his SpongeBob SquarePants jammies

Jeremiah Ascencio

Last moments spent cradling his brother

Shondricka J'Nay Adams

Celebrating one night, gone the next

Ty'Dre Shyheim Hailey

She didn’t know it was real

Jayden Fondeur

His older brother found him first

Raydale Hill

Can no longer create his music

Kameron Johnson

He dreamed of college and cars

Elisha Amon Cole

Dreaming big, working on his portfolio

Izabella Marie Helem

Brother shoots his sister by accident

Elijah Foster

Dope Boy Gang. One less member.

Lia Lin Collier

A light, “unrelenting joy” extinguished

Peyton Nicole Hurt

Still helping others, even in death

Rashiya Melton

Joins brother, leaves behind her twin

Rashaad Izil Wisher

One brother buried. Then another one.

Yaleah Hall

Sister, daughter, dancer, since day one

Ryan Amadeo Dela Cruz

Gone, two weeks shy of graduation

Jaquincy Jawan Ross

Wanted to buy her a scooter

Caydence Nicole Painter

Reading, dancing, playing. Siblings shot together.