A 22-year-old man has been charged after a 4-year-old girl died from a self-inflicted gunshot inside a Lansing residence on Jan. 21, authorities said. Investigators allege the firearm had been left unsecured in the home; the child was pronounced dead at the scene despite resuscitation efforts.
Ingham County prosecutors said the case centers on allegations of improper gun storage and illegal possession. The defendant, identified in charging documents as Maliki Pendergrass, is accused of felony counts tied to safe-storage rules that carry enhanced penalties when a death occurs, along with firearm possession offenses based on prior convictions. A judge set bond at $1 million as detectives gathered additional evidence and awaited laboratory results. The fatal shooting, which unfolded near midday during a routine weekday, has focused attention on how the weapon entered the residence, who had access to it and whether anyone else may face charges as the investigation moves forward.
Police were dispatched late morning Jan. 21 to an address off Grand River Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for reports of a shooting involving a child. Officers arrived to find the girl with a gunshot wound and began lifesaving measures with medics, who pronounced her dead minutes later. Detectives secured the apartment, photographed rooms and collected the handgun, magazines, and spent casing for ballistic analysis. Statements summarized in court indicate the weapon had been shoved beneath a couch the night before. Investigators executed search warrants for the home and nearby vehicles and began canvassing for surveillance video to chart comings and goings in the hours around the shooting.
Prosecutors alleged in a brief filed with the court that Pendergrass, who is legally barred from possessing firearms because of an earlier felony, kept the gun in a manner that violated Michigan’s safe-storage statute, leading to the child’s death. Additional counts include possession of a firearm by a felon and related offenses; officials said the charging decision could be amended as tests return. Authorities described the case as “completely preventable” in public remarks and noted that the investigation will examine how the gun was acquired. Court records reviewed by investigators indicate the handgun was reported stolen; detectives are seeking to confirm the theft report details and the chain of custody leading to the apartment. No additional arrests had been announced as of Wednesday afternoon.
Neighbors reported seeing police cars and an ambulance converge on the small complex, a cluster of low-rise units set back from a two-lane road. Crime-scene tape closed off the stairwell and parking slots nearest the unit as technicians moved paper bags of evidence to marked vehicles. Officers went door to door requesting any camera footage from the surrounding buildings and checked dumpsters and grassy areas for discarded items. By midafternoon, detectives had completed grid searches inside the unit, measured likely trajectories and packaged the couch for additional processing, according to a law enforcement summary.
Authorities have not released the child’s name, citing her age and family notifications. The local medical examiner will issue a final autopsy report with official cause and manner of death after toxicology, a process that can take weeks. Police said the girl’s relatives were cooperating with investigators and working with victim services. Officials did not immediately release a possible timeline of who was present when the gun discharged, and they declined to discuss whether 911 callers included an adult caretaker. Early information from scene commanders indicated no other injuries inside the residence.
Michigan’s secure-storage law requires gun owners to keep firearms unloaded and locked when a minor is likely to be present, with felony penalties if a child gains access and someone is seriously injured or killed. Prosecutors in Ingham County said the statute applies regardless of whether the weapon was registered or lawfully possessed. In court remarks, the prosecutor’s office said the case would proceed to a probable cause conference before a preliminary examination, the step where a judge decides if there is enough evidence to bind the charges over for trial. Defense counsel had not filed public motions as of Tuesday; the court scheduled the next hearing for Feb. 6.
Public records show Pendergrass was taken into custody shortly after the shooting and interviewed by detectives. Officials said statements from witnesses and the defendant would be compared with physical evidence, including fingerprints, DNA swabs from the firearm and furniture, and electronic records that could show who entered the apartment. Investigators also requested data from nearby license-plate readers to identify vehicles tied to the address in the prior days, a standard step in cases involving stolen guns. Police did not specify the caliber of the weapon, its manufacturer, or whether any modifications were present.
As the investigation advanced, candles and stuffed animals appeared near a stairwell by the unit’s entrance, according to residents. A small crowd gathered the evening after the shooting as neighbors shared condolences and talked with officers about what they had heard earlier that day. The complex, which sits off a bus route and backs onto a narrow greenbelt, remained quiet midweek as detectives returned to serve additional warrants and to transport the couch and other items to an evidence facility. A maintenance worker said officers asked about key fob logs, parking permits and any repair requests involving the unit in recent weeks.
Officials said their immediate priorities are finalizing forensic testing, tracing the firearm and presenting the case to a judge at the February hearing. If the matter is bound over, prosecutors would present it to a grand jury or proceed by information, depending on charging strategy. The safe-storage count that results in a death carries significant prison exposure on conviction, and firearm possession by a felon enhances potential penalties. As of Wednesday, Pendergrass remained jailed on $1 million bond while the case file continued to grow with lab submissions and supplemental interviews.
Authorities said they would provide further updates after the court hearing on Feb. 6 and when the autopsy report is complete. Investigators emphasized that no additional suspects had been publicly identified in connection with the stolen gun, though inquiries were ongoing into how the weapon entered the apartment and who last handled it before it was hidden under the couch.
Author note: Last updated January 28, 2026.