Kansas Woman Sentenced to 37 Months After Child Finds Loaded Gun, Fatally Shoots Playmate

In a tragic incident that occurred last March, a 7-year-old boy named Davion Gunter was fatally shot by a 4-year-old child who found a loaded gun in the apartment of Tasha Dillard, a 25-year-old Kansas woman.

According to court documents, on the night of the incident, Dillard and her adult friends were drinking tequila shots in a parked car outside her apartment, while Gunter and several other young children were left unsupervised inside. The 4-year-old child discovered Dillard's loaded gun, which she had purchased weeks earlier, and shot Gunter in the upper torso. Gunter was rushed to the hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.

Dillard initially denied owning a gun, but later admitted to having one, claiming she had placed it behind her purse where it was not easily spotted. However, one of Dillard's friends had taken a video with the gun earlier that night, leaving it on the counter where the 4-year-old found it.

On October 16th, 2025, Dillard was sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and six counts of aggravated child endangerment. Gunter's mother, a friend of Dillard's, had requested leniency and asked the judge to grant her probation instead of prison time, but the judge ultimately handed down the 37-month sentence.