Report: Shooting by 10-year-old stemmed from social media

The fight that ended with a 10-year-old girl killing a woman at a Mercy Drive apartment complex stemmed from a dispute between the woman and the girl’s mother over a social media post, a neighbor told Orlando police, according to a report released Wednesday.

The girl’s mother, Lakrisha Isaac, is facing a charge of manslaughter by culpable negligence in the killing of Lashun Rodgers, as well as aggravated assault, negligent storage of a firearm and child neglect. Isaac, 31, is in the Orange County Jail without bond.

Police say Isaac’s daughter shot Rodgers while the two women were having a fistfight at the Jernigan Gardens apartment complex.

Isaac, who witnesses said was drunk during the altercation, had passed her daughter a backpack as she fought Rodgers in the breezeway, the report said. The child rummaged through the bag, found a handgun and fired twice, hitting Rodgers in the head, police said.

After firing the fatal shot, the girl reportedly yelled, “She shouldn’t have hit my momma.”

Isaac then pointed the gun at Rodgers’ boyfriend, who had tried to break up the fight before shots rang out, before returning to her apartment, the report said. Rodgers, 41, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Rodgers’ boyfriend told police Isaac had thrown the first punch and that he was trying to pull Rodgers away when she broke free and went back to confront Isaac, according to the affidavit.

A neighbor told police that she was outside her apartment prior to the fight when Isaac approached her asking about Rodgers and the earlier dispute over a social media post. Rogers then told the neighbor to go inside her apartment so she wouldn’t be involved in the fight, the report said.

The neighbor also said Isaac threw the first punch, the report shows.

Witnesses told OPD the child said after shooting Rodgers that she was defending her mother. One unidentified witness said they believed Rodgers struck Isaac with an unknown object, cutting Isaac’s head, but the affidavit said officers “did not observe any cuts or injuries on Isaac.”

Isaac invoked her right to an attorney when interviewed by police. The 10-year-old was released to the custody of the Department of Children and Families while the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office considers charges.

Miles Mulrain, a community activist who runs Let Your Voice Be Heard, said his group is in touch with families on both sides to “start the healing process” and hopes authorities consider rehabilitation instead of just punishment for the child.

On Wednesday, a group of local pastors gathered outside Orlando West Ministries, near where

19-year-old Raniyah Gandy was shot and killed earlier that morning. The Orange County Sheriff ’s Office is investigating that shooting, where deputies said they found dozens of casings from shots they believe may have been fired from inside a vehicle.

The group, which included the church’s Pastor R. Keith Hicks, prayed for the victims of both shootings and the 10-year-old girl, calling on parents to pay attention to their children throughout the summer.

Bishop Kelvin Cobaris on a live Facebook video also encouraged community leaders and neighbors to participate in events aimed at keeping young people busy while school is out.

“Don’t just watch, get involved because while it’s not your child today, it could very well be your child tomorrow,” Cobaris said. “And in order for us to bring a resolve to this, we must be proactive and not reactive to the different dark situations that are happening within our community.”