Key Takeaways
- Oakland police charged Vernika Dunbar with involuntary manslaughter, assault, and carrying a loaded firearm after she allegedly fired the shot that killed her sister, Young & Reckless star Mackayla “Kash” Paige.
- Investigators say Dunbar tried to strike a woman Paige was fighting with a gun, but the weapon discharged and hit Paige, who later died at a hospital.
- Paige also appeared on RoomMHates and Now That’s Riot, and Now That’s TV remembered her as “a beloved member” of its family as Oakland police continued investigating.
According to ABC7 Bay Area, Vernika Dunbar faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, assault with a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm in public, and brandishing a firearm in public. Oakland police announced the development on Wednesday, October 14, identifying the woman arrested on the day of the shooting as Paige’s sister.
Police say Paige was attempting to fight another woman when Dunbar grabbed a firearm. Investigators allege Dunbar tried to strike the woman Paige was fighting, but the weapon discharged and struck Paige.
Officers found Paige suffering from at least one gunshot wound near 14th and Harrison streets shortly after 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 11. They attempted lifesaving measures before she was taken to a hospital, where she died. Dunbar was taken into custody that same day, though initial police reports did not publicly identify the arrested woman or disclose her relationship to Paige.
The charges arrive as Paige’s relatives continue mourning a loss her cousin, Azima King, described as difficult to comprehend.
“Honestly, I don’t know how I feel. I’m floating. Shaking. I’ve been shaking since yesterday,” King said.
For viewers, Paige was Kash, a personality who appeared on several Now That’s TV shows. Beyond Young & Reckless, she appeared on RoomMHates and Now That’s Riot.
But King said her cousin’s plans reached beyond the screen.
“She just wanted better for her life. And she wanted to be better. And she wanted to change,” King said.
King also remembered Paige’s determination: “She wanted to be somebody. She wanted to make it, she had big plans and dreams.”
Now That’s TV paid tribute to Paige with a black-and-white photograph and a message remembering Paige as “a beloved member of our Now That’s TV family.” The network acknowledged her work across its shows while extending condolences to her family, friends, fellow cast members, and others close to her.
“Though her time with us was far too short, her memory will live on,” the network wrote.
A memorial in downtown Oakland has honored the Richmond native since her death.
The Oakland Police Department’s Homicide Section continues to investigate. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call 510-238-3821.
