8-year-old girl shot in the head because she was ‘talking back,’ MI officials say

Four years after the fatal shooting of an 8-year-old girl, her older brother is going to prison, Michigan officials say.

Gyasi Stribling, 24, was convicted of first-degree murder April 16 in the January 2021 killing of his sister, Bailei Singleton, according to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.

“Stribling, who was 20 years old at the time of the shooting, is reported to have shot his sister because she was ‘talking back’ to him in the living room of their home,” officials said.

Bailei was shot in the head, and she died after being taken to a hospital, WDIV reported.

In a briefing after the shooting, Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren called Stribling’s alleged actions “heinous” and “disturbing,” according to WJBK.

Stribling tried to deceive officers by saying Bailei was shot in a robbery, The Detroit News reported. But two witnesses refuted his story, alleging Stribling tried to hide evidence.

“Bailei Singleton should still be here with us today,” Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement. “Her murder was a tragedy for her family. It’s unconscionable that anyone, let alone an 8 year old child, could be murdered by a relative and in their own home over the slightest of disagreements.”

Officials say Stribling faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Southfield is a northwest suburb of Detroit.

This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 11:28 AM with the headline "8-year-old girl shot in the head because she was ‘talking back,’ MI officials say."