Wilkins Township, Pennsylvania — Ni’Dreyah Marshall, a 17-year-old student from the Woodland Hills School District, died early Monday morning after being struck by a stray bullet in an apartment inside the Brentmoor at Penn Center complex. Police were called just after 3 a.m. to reports of a shooting in the building on Penn Center Boulevard. First responders found Ni’Dreyah unresponsive with a single gunshot wound to the head and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators say that Ni’Dreyah had been spending time with friends in the apartment. A 20-year-old woman, Rayohna Hexstall, was handling a handgun inside the residence with others present when the weapon went off. Witnesses at the scene told police that Hexstall was waving the gun around when it accidentally discharged. At least two people in the room said Hexstall had the gun in her hand when it fired, striking Ni’Dreyah.
Police have charged Hexstall with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment. Court records show the defendant initially claimed another person in the room had been holding the gun, but investigators said other witnesses contradicted that version of events. A judge denied bail for Hexstall at her arraignment Monday afternoon, saying she was a potential danger to the community as she awaits a preliminary hearing next month.
People who lived in the building said the shooting was shocking and heartbreaking. Neighbors described hearing frantic calls for help and seeing police lights flooding the complex in the early hours. Some residents said they knew Ni’Dreyah by sight and were struggling to process news of her sudden death, especially at such a young age.
The Woodland Hills School District released a statement expressing deep sorrow over Ni’Dreyah’s passing. Leaders said students and staff were grieving and that counselors and mental health professionals were being made available to anyone who needed support. They asked the community to keep Ni’Dreyah’s family and friends in their thoughts during this difficult time.
Family members and classmates remembered Ni’Dreyah as a bright, joyful young woman whose absence would leave a lasting void. Friends said she was outgoing, loved to laugh, and had dreams like any teenager about life ahead. In halls of her high school, students paused to talk about the shock of learning someone they saw regularly was suddenly gone.
Law enforcement officials continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting and are asking anyone with additional information to contact the Allegheny County police tip line. As the community mourns, questions persist about how a night among friends ended in tragedy.
