Kimani Thomas was a 10-year-old girl from Baton Rouge who was shot and killed on March 10, 2026, in the parking lot of a Sonic Drive-In on Government Street near Interstate 10. Police and EMS were called around 4:12 to 4:15 p.m.; Kimani was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after being shot in the chest and was publicly identified by the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office the next day.

Authorities have described the shooting as accidental and say the fatal shot came from an 8-year-old sibling who was inside a vehicle and got hold of a handgun while Kimani was outside the car. Reports state the children had been left waiting by the car while their mother and stepfather, who both worked at that Sonic location, moved in and out on shift.

If anyone has information about what happened that afternoon or about the circumstances that left a gun within the children’s reach, please share it with investigators.