A 19-year-old rapper accused of killing a 9-year-old girl has turned himself, Dallas News reports. Tyrese Simmons was reportedly embroiled in a feud with a rival rapper, which led to the shooting of Brandoniya Bennett at her Old East Dallas apartment. Simmons has been charged with capital murder for his alleged involvement in the death, with bail set at $500,000.
Simmons reportedly attempted to shoot his intended target when he fired a round into the unit next door to Bennett's home, instead striking her in the head. "As adults, as parents as police officers, we’re supposed to make them safe, as community leaders, we’re supposed to make them safe," Dallas Police Department Maj. Danny Williams said. "She was sitting in her house, she felt safe...she was only 9 years old."
Witnesses and officers responding to the scene attempted to get Bennett to a hospital, but she died shortly after arriving at Baylor University Medical Center. During a news conference on Thursday, authorities explained that Simmons was out to get a rival rapper who had dissed him. As of right now it is believed that Simmons had the wrong address for his target, which resulted in him allegedly killing Bennett.
"She would have started school," Williams added. "She got her nails done yesterday."
In response to the situation, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to help the family with funeral costs. Prior to handing himself in, Simmons had a pending misdemeanor assault case after he knocked a man out in June 2018. As a result, he was prohibited from posessing any kind of weapon.
