A Pennsylvania mother is living a nightmare from both sides of the gun-violence epidemic-first as a grieving parent whose 15-year-old was killed in a 2023 mass shooting, and now as the mother of a 21-year-old charged in a separate mass shooting.
At a Glance
- DaJuan Brown, 15, died in the July 2023 Kingsessing shooting that left five dead
- Older brother Daquan Brown faces murder trial for the July 2025 Grays Ferry shooting that killed three
- Mom Nyshyia Thomas says Daquan fired only two shots in self-defense and may not have hit anyone
- Why it matters: One family embodies the dual roles of victim and defendant in America’s gun-violence crisis
Nyshyia Thomas told The Philadelphia Inquirer in a January 13 interview that the emotional toll is crushing. “From being on both sides of this, it’s overwhelming, it’s unfair,” she said. “But I understand.”
The First Tragedy: Losing DaJuan
On July 3, 2023, DaJuan Brown was helping a wounded 13-year-old friend on a Kingsessing street when bullets tore through the neighborhood. The gunman, Kimbrady Carriker, killed five and injured several others in what police called a random attack.
Thomas told NBC News days later that her son “was just trying to get his friend help not knowing that bullets don’t have no name.” Carriker later pleaded guilty to five counts each of murder and attempted murder, receiving 37½ to 75 years in prison in December 2025.
The Second Tragedy: Daquan on Trial
Barely two years later, Thomas faced the reverse scenario. On July 7, 2025, a late-night gathering in Grays Ferry erupted into chaos. Police say one celebrant fired a shot-likely into the air-and “contagious gunfire” followed, leaving three men aged 19-24 dead and nine wounded. Around 40 people were present, and investigators recovered dozens of shell casings.
Four men, including Daquan Brown, were charged with murder. Prosecutors say he fired shots; Thomas insists her son let off only two rounds in self-defense after his brother’s death spurred him to carry a gun for protection.
Key distinctions raised by Thomas:
- Investigators have not concluded whether Daquan’s bullets struck anyone
- He faces multiple counts though his alleged shots may have hit no one
- Family argues the charges overstate his role in the melee
A Mother’s Plea
“I lost one son to gun violence,” Thomas told the Inquirer. “I’ll be damned if I let the system take my other one from me.”
Her attorney is expected to challenge the murder counts as jury selection begins this week. Prosecutors must prove intent and causation for each victim-legal hurdles if forensic evidence fails to link Daquan’s gunfire to any fatality.
Key Takeaways
- One Philadelphia family has lost a child to a mass shooter while another child stands accused in a separate mass shooting
- The cases highlight how quickly victims’ relatives can become defendants-and vice versa
- Daquan Brown’s trial may hinge on whether the state can prove his shots caused any of the three deaths
- His mother frames the prosecution as a second loss after the 2023 murder of her younger son
Trial proceedings are scheduled to start this week in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court.
