Teen girl shot while sleeping was second gun death in family in less than a year

This week’s Denver shooting that took the life of a sleeping 15-year-old girl was the family’s second gun tragedy in less than a year.

The investigation into Kashmier Lujan-Taylor’s death early Wednesday morning was ongoing, and as of Friday Denver police had made no arrests.

It was last June 4 that the girl’s older brother, Jalecc Taylor, shot and killed their younger brother, 10-year-old Anthony Hemmings.

Jalecc Taylor, who was 17 at the time, initially told police the younger boy shot himself but later admitted that he fired the shot from a Glock handgun he found in the Aurora apartment where the family was living at the time.

Jalecc Taylor pleaded guilty to negligent child abuse resulting in death and juvenile handgun possession and was sentenced to two years on probation.

According to court records obtained by 9NEWS, the girl told police at the time that she “heard what she thought as a gun shot and came into the living room from the bedroom and her brother Anthony said I am shot and collapses.”

She told police that she tried to render aid to the boy. However, he died moments later.

After that, the family moved to a new home in Denver. It was about 3:15 a.m. Wednesday that someone opened fire on that house in the 4200 block of West Dakota Avenue. Multiple bullets pierced the front wall, door and window. Four children and two adults were inside at the time, according to Denver police.

Kashmier, sleeping in the living room, was hit and mortally wounded.

Denver police believe the family was targeted – based primarily on the number of rounds that were fired, said Cmdr. Barb Archer.

Kashmier would have turned 16 next week.