Pa. Mom’s Son Was Killed in 2023 Mass Shooting — and Now Her Other Son is Behind Bars, Accused in Another

A Pennsylvania mother who lost her youngest son in a 2023 mass shooting is now bracing for another court battle, as her other son prepares to stand trial on murder charges in a separate mass shooting.

Nyshyia Thomas’ 15-year-old son, DaJuan Brown, was one of five people shot and killed in a random attack in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Southwest Philadelphia in July 2023. Police said at the time that several others were wounded and that all of the victims were either on the street or in vehicles when the shots rang out, PEOPLE previously reported.

She told NBC News in the aftermath of the shooting that DaJuan was aiding a wounded 13-year-old friend when he was struck. “He was just trying to get his friend help not knowing that bullets don’t have no name,” she said in 2023.

The shooter, Kimbrady Carriker, has since pleaded guilty to five counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder in connection with the deadly shooting, 6abc reported, citing prosecutors. He was sentenced in December 2025 to 37.5 to 75 years in prison, per the outlet.

Now, Thomas finds herself facing tragedy from another angle as her other son, 21-year-old Daquan Brown, goes on trial this week on murder and attempted murder charges tied to a July 2025 mass shooting in the Grays Ferry neighborhood.

In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer published on Jan. 13, Thomas shared more about the emotional toll gun violence has taken on her family, from both sides of the tragedy.

“From being on both sides of this, it’s overwhelming, it’s unfair,” she said, per the newspaper. “But I understand.”

Philadelphia police previously said that three men, ranging between the ages of 19 and 24, were shot dead and nine others were wounded in the 2025 shooting, according to FOX 29, NBC 10 and 6abc.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel told CBS News at the time there were around 40 people who were present at the time of the shooting and that authorities had recovered dozens of shell casings from the scene.

Authorities believe the incident began with one person firing a shot — probably into the air — and then “contagious gunfire” followed, FOX 29 reported.

According to the Inquirer, four men, including Daquan, have been charged with murder and other offenses in connection with the shooting. However, Thomas argues that her son — who she says fired only two shots in self-defense — should not be facing multiple counts, as investigators are still determining whether any of the shots he fired actually struck and killed anyone.

She acknowledges how hard it is to justify any shooting death, and adds that Daquan got the gun for his own protection after his brother was killed, the outlet reported.

“I lost one son to gun violence,” Thomas told the Inquirer. “I’ll be damned if I let the system take my other one from me.”