The woman charged in the shooting death of reality TV personality Mackayla “Kash” Paige is her own sister. Vernika Dunbar, 38, was charged with involuntary manslaughter after police say she tried to pistol-whip a woman who was fighting with Paige and instead fired a shot that killed her, KTVU reported.
Paige, 29, was shot around 1:30 a.m. Sunday near 14th and Harrison streets in downtown Oakland and died at a hospital. She’d appeared on online reality shows including “Real West Coast Baddies,” “RoomH8z” and “Young & Reckless.”
What is Kash Paige’s sister charged with?
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office charged Dunbar with involuntary manslaughter, plus assault with a firearm and gun violations for trying to pistol-whip the other woman, according to Oakland police. Involuntary manslaughter means prosecutors aren’t alleging she meant to kill anyone, only that she caused a death through reckless or unlawful conduct. Police haven’t said what started the fight or who the other woman was.
Early reports said only that a woman from Richmond had been arrested. One outlet briefly misidentified the victim as the person charged before correcting its story.
Who was Mackayla “Kash” Paige?
Family remembered her as the life of the party, a model with big plans. “She wanted to be famous so bad,” her cousin Nicky Clayton told KTVU on Sunday. “She still had morals, don’t get me wrong. She wanted to be a reality star. She [wanted] to start her own business.” Another cousin, Azima King, told NBC Bay Area: “She motivated people, she inspired people. People like to put out a negative narrative about her, but that’s not who she is.” Social media videos appeared to show Paige in a confrontation just before she was shot.
The BeezLoop Take
This is a family tragedy twice over. A woman is dead, and by police’s account, her sister pulled out a gun in a fight her sister was in and killed her instead. Nobody in that version of events set out to kill anyone, which is exactly what the charge reflects.
It’s also the oldest lesson about guns there is. A loaded gun used as a club in a 1:30 a.m. street fight downtown isn’t protection. It’s a coin flip. Before the online commentary turns Kash into a punchline, it’s worth remembering that her family is now grieving one sister and facing a trial for the other.
The open question: who was the other woman in the fight, and will she face any charges?
Sources: KTVU · KTVU (Oct. 11) · NBC Bay Area · CBS San Francisco · Henry K. Lee, KTVU, on X · KTVU (video)
