Petersburg Mother and 11-Year-Old Charged After 6-Year-Old Girl Fatally Shot

Natalie Joyce Burford, 30, is the mother of both the 11-year-old suspect and 6-year-old Kaniya Burford Adkins, and on March 24, Petersburg police announced charges against them both in a case that has shaken the Navajo Court community.

Kaniya was killed in a shooting at the Petersburg East Apartment Complex on Tuesday, March 10. The shooting occurred at an apartment on Navajo Court. Responding officers found the child suffering from a life-threatening gunshot wound. She was rushed to Bon Secours Southside Medical Center in Petersburg, where she later died.

Police charged the 11-year-old with manslaughter. Because of his age, he has not been publicly identified, and his court date is pending. His mother, Natalie Burford, is charged with recklessly leaving a loaded, unsecured firearm in a way that endangered a child. Burford also faces three counts of child abuse and neglect, with court documents indicating each count involves a different child: ages 5, 6 and 11, all present in the apartment. Burford is due in court in June.

The exact circumstances of how the gun was discharged have not been released. Petersburg police confirmed Burford is the mother of both the juvenile suspect and the victim.

The tragedy prompted an immediate response from police on the question of firearm storage. Petersburg Police Chief Travis Christian said, "As adults, we have to protect our children and in doing so, if we are going to possess these weapons, we have to keep them locked up. Gun locks are free. We offer gun locks, [so do] many organizations, insurance companies, gun locks are available for anyone that wants them."

The sentiment was echoed by others connected to the case. Benjamin, identified in coverage of the story, said the case served as a direct warning to gun owners everywhere. "The takeaway is, especially if you're a gun owner, you've got to make sure your kid can't get a hold of that gun, period, no question," he said. "And if it happens, you're going to be charged."

Community members described Kaniya as kind, sweet and caring, and said she always wanted to make people smile. A memorial of balloons, flowers and stuffed animals has grown outside the Navajo Court location, and her funeral service was scheduled for the Saturday following her death.

The case adds to a pattern that gun safety advocates have long warned about: loaded, unsecured firearms in homes with children present. Natalie Joyce Burford faces three counts of child neglect, leaving a loaded firearm accessible and child endangerment, according to the Petersburg Police Department. That an 11-year-old now carries a manslaughter charge, and a 5-year-old was also listed among the children in the apartment that day, underscores the full scope of what an unsecured weapon cost this family.