OAKLAND — The half-sister of a reality TV star has been charged with accidentally killing her in an early Sunday morning shooting that started with a fistfight, court records show.
Vernika Dunbar, of Richmond, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault with a firearm, and carrying a loaded firearm in public, all felonies. Dunbar was identified by police as the woman who shot and killed Mackayla “Kash” Paige as Paige was attempting to fight another woman on the 200 block of 14th Street.
Dunbar has been in police custody since the shooting and remains there, authorities said. She has also been charged with a misdemeanor count of brandishing a gun in public, records show.
In a widely circulated video of the killing, a woman identified as Dunbar can be seen attempting to strike the person Paige was fighting with a pistol, but after several swings the gun goes off and Paige falls to the ground, mortally injured.
Cynthia Shavers, left, mother of Mackayla “Kash” Paige, gets a hug from Janae, who preferred to not give her last name, during a vigil for her daughter on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. To the right is Paige’s aunt Ebony Thomas. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. Her half sister Vernika Dunbar, of Richmond, was charged in the crime. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Family and friends hold a vigil for Mackayla “Kash” Paige on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Family and friends hold a vigil for Mackayla “Kash” Paige on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Family and friends hold a vigil for Mackayla “Kash” Paige on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Ebony Thomas, left, aunt of Mackayla “Kash” Paige, gets a hug from Zigg, also an aunt of Paige, who preferred to not give her last name, during a vigil for her daughter on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Family and friends hold a vigil for Mackayla “Kash” Paige on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
A photo at a memorial for Mackayla “Kash” Paige on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Family and friends hold a vigil for Mackayla “Kash” Paige on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Cynthia Shavers, left, mother of Mackayla “Kash” Paige, gets a hug from Paige’s aunt Ebony Thomas during a vigil for her daughter on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Family and friends hold a vigil for Mackayla “Kash” Paige on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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Cynthia Shavers, left, mother of Mackayla “Kash” Paige, gets a hug from Janae, who preferred to not give her last name, during a vigil for her daughter on 14th Street near Harrison Street in downtown, Calif., on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. To the right is Paige’s aunt Ebony Thomas. Paige, 29, a reality television star and social media influencer, was accidentally shot and killed after an altercation early Sunday morning. Her half sister Vernika Dunbar, of Richmond, was charged in the crime. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Involuntary manslaughter is far less serious than murder under the law, but the charges carry enhancements that carry multiple years in prison if Dunbar is convicted as charged. The charges were filed Tuesday afternoon.
Paige, 29, died a little after 1:35 a.m. Sunday. Authorities said she had addresses in Richmond and Antioch. Her death shocked relatives and others who knew her and tributes were posted at a sidewalk memorial where she was shot as well as online platforms, where she was known for appearing in online TV shows such as “RoomH8z” and “West Coast Baddies.”
Charles Shavies, a cousin, said in an online tribute that it was known Paige “was more than a reality TV star and social media influencer — she was a beautiful young woman with big dreams, a bold personality, and a determination to make her mark on the world.”
Friends and family of Paige gathered on 14th Street at dusk for a second day in a row to pay tribute, share memories and console each other. Among them were her mom Cynthia Shaver, aunts Ebony Thomas and Zigg, who preferred to not give her last name.
“My niece was outgoing and was reaching for the stars,” Thomas, of Oakland, said. “We’re a family that stays together and prays together.”