In honor of Ta’Niyah
Francesca Sacco / Observer-Reporter Family, friends and community members gathered Sunday at Washington High School to celebrate what would have been Ta'Niyah Thomas's 11th birthday on Oct. 14. Thomas was killed during a home invasion in March. Free food and entertainment were provided. Toys were collected for Toys for Tots in Ta'Niyah's honor. A balloon release wrapped up the celebration.
Francesca Sacco / Observer-Reporter Family, friends and community members gathered Sunday at Washington High School to celebrate what would have been Ta'Niyah Thomas's 11th birthday on Oct. 14. Thomas was killed during a home invasion in March. Free food and entertainment were provided. Toys were collected for Toys for Tots in Ta'Niyah's honor. A balloon release wrapped up the celebration.
Family, friends and community members gathered Sunday at Washington High School to celebrate what would have been Ta’Niyah Thomas’s 11th birthday on Oct. 14.
Free food and entertainment were provided, and toys were collected for Toys for Tots in Ta’Niyah’s honor. The crowd participated in a balloon release to wrap up the celebration.
Four men, Anthian Goehring, 28, Douglas Cochran Jr., 18, Malik Thomas, 20, and Richard White, 18, all of Washington, are accused in the shooting death of the Washington girl.
The men are charged with criminal homicide, robbery, theft and burglary. Goehring also is charged with discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, person not to possess a firearm and reckless endangerment. Cochran also is charged with reckless endangerment.
Ta’Niyah was shot inside her family’s 450 W. Chestnut St. apartment in March and died a short time later at Washington Hospital. Investigators said robbery was the motive.
Police allege Goehring and Cochran kicked in the main door of the apartment building, approached the second-floor apartment and fired multiple shots through the door. Ta’Niyah was asleep when the initial shots were fired. She apparently heard the gunfire and was running from her bedroom to get to her mother when she was hit by two bullets.