A 24-year-old Milwaukee woman avoided prison after pleading guilty in a case involving a 9-year-old girl who was shot while four children were left alone in an apartment.
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — A Wisconsin woman was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to child neglect charges tied to the 2024 shooting of a 9-year-old girl who was wounded when four children were left alone in a Milwaukee apartment while two adults went grocery shopping.
The sentencing closes one chapter in a case that raised concerns about child supervision and firearm storage. Prosecutors said the adults left children ages 2, 4, 8 and 9 unattended for about 40 minutes. The shooting victim survived, but investigators found evidence that an unsecured handgun had been accessible to the children. The case resulted in criminal charges against both adults connected to the apartment and prompted a lengthy investigation into how the firearm was obtained and handled.
Vanta’jah Westmoreland, 24, pleaded guilty to three counts of being party to a crime of child neglect and was sentenced Friday to two years of probation. Court records show the charges stemmed from events on Nov. 8, 2024, at a Milwaukee apartment where Westmoreland and Nakia Piggee, 29, had left four children by themselves while they went shopping. When officers arrived after a 911 call, they found a 9-year-old girl lying face-down on the living room floor with a gunshot wound to her upper back. The child was conscious and able to communicate with officers before being transported to a hospital. She ultimately survived her injuries. Investigators said the girl initially indicated that another child inside the apartment had been involved in the shooting.
According to the criminal complaint, officers interviewed the children and attempted to determine exactly how the gun discharged. A 4-year-old boy told investigators that a handgun had been kept under a bed by an adult he referred to as “aunt Kiki,” a nickname used for Piggee. The boy later reportedly told his mother that an 8-year-old girl fired the weapon. The 8-year-old gave a different account, telling police she took the gun away from the younger boy after he found it under a mattress and that the weapon discharged during the encounter. Detectives noted inconsistencies in the children’s statements and said the exact sequence of events remained unclear. Investigators also reported finding no firearm safety devices in the apartment, including a gun safe or trigger lock. Piggee later told authorities that the gun belonged to Westmoreland and had been stored under a mattress.
The investigation extended beyond the shooting itself and focused on conditions inside the apartment. Officers conducting a protective sweep described the residence as dirty and cluttered with food, clothing, cigarette ashes and bottles. In one bedroom, investigators found a disabled 2-year-old child inside a crib. Police reported that the child had casts on both arms, relied on a feeding tube and required supplemental oxygen. Near the crib, officers discovered a spent 9 mm cartridge casing. They also found a bloodstained shirt that appeared to contain a bullet strike and a bloody blanket. The firearm was not initially located because, according to investigators, a 16-year-old neighbor removed it from the apartment after the shooting. Police later recovered a 9 mm Hi-Point handgun from the neighbor’s residence, where it had allegedly been wrapped in sweatpants.
The criminal case moved through Milwaukee County courts over the following months. Prosecutors pursued child neglect charges rather than charges directly alleging that either woman fired the weapon. The legal focus centered on the decision to leave the children unattended and the presence of an unsecured firearm in the home. Piggee previously resolved her portion of the case. In April 2025, she pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of child neglect and received a sentence of two years of probation. Westmoreland’s case remained pending longer before ending with her guilty plea and sentencing in June 2026. The probation sentence means she will avoid prison time so long as she complies with court-ordered conditions during the supervision period.
The case drew attention because of the ages of the children involved and the circumstances surrounding the shooting. Investigators were faced with conflicting statements from young witnesses attempting to explain what happened in the apartment while no adults were present. The surviving victim’s ability to communicate with first responders helped establish an early timeline, but questions remained about which child was holding the gun when it discharged. Court documents described a chaotic scene in which officers worked to stabilize the wounded girl while simultaneously caring for the other children inside the residence. The investigation also highlighted concerns about firearm accessibility in homes with young children and medically vulnerable family members. Despite the seriousness of the injuries, the girl’s survival allowed the case to proceed without homicide-related charges.
With Westmoreland now sentenced, the major criminal proceedings connected to the shooting appear to be complete. The 9-year-old victim survived the incident, and both women charged in connection with leaving the children alone have received probation sentences. No additional charges have been publicly announced, and the case stands as one of Milwaukee’s more closely watched child-neglect prosecutions arising from an accidental shooting involving children.