LANSING, Mich. — A 22-year-old Lansing man is facing multiple felony charges after a 4-year-old girl died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a Lansing area home.
Lansing police responded to the residence on January 21 after receiving reports of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found the child suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The Lansing Fire Department attempted life-saving measures, but the child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say the child accessed a firearm that was stored improperly inside the home. Authorities allege the weapon was unsecured and accessible to the child at the time of the incident.
The suspect, Maliki Michael Pendergrass, was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition at the time. Michigan Department of Corrections records show Pendergrass was on active parole when the shooting occurred. His parole supervision began July 29, 2025, and is scheduled to run through July 29, 2027. He was assigned to parole supervision in the Ingham/Lansing area.
Court records show Pendergrass has prior felony convictions in Ingham County for armed robbery and carrying a concealed weapon. Those convictions stem from offenses committed in August 2019, with sentencing imposed in July 2020. Both convictions were entered by plea, and sentencing guidelines carried potential prison terms ranging from five to 55 years.
As of his arraignment, prosecutors charged Pendergrass as a habitual third offender with the following offenses:
- Safe storage violation – premises under individual’s control, minor present, resulting in death
- Weapons – firearms – possession by prohibited person (firearm)
- Weapons – firearms – possession by prohibited person (ammunition)
- Weapons – felony firearm (safe storage violation)
- Weapons – felony firearm (possession by prohibited person – firearm)
- Weapons – felony firearm (possession by prohibited person – ammunition)
Pendergrass was arraigned January 23. A judge set his bond at $1 million cash/surety and ordered that he have no access to firearms. He is scheduled to appear again in court on February 6.
Ingham County Prosecutor John J. Dewane said the child’s death was preventable and cited Michigan’s firearm safe-storage law, which requires guns to be secured with a locking device when minors are present in the home.
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