You Can Help Family of Hudson Valley Girl Allegedly Killed by Two

A 12-year-old Hudson Valley girl will be laid to rest on Monday, days after her shooting death.

On Christmas Eve, New York State Police announced the arrested of 24-year-old Gilbert Thomas and Robert James, age 46, both of Kingston, NY, for murder, assault and criminal possession of a firearm.

On the evening of Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020, Thomas and James were involved in shooting into the residence at 60 Van Buren Street in the City of Kingston which ultimately caused the death of 12-year old D’Janeira Mason, police say.

"A seventh grade student at J. Watson Bailey Middle School, D’Janeira was such a loving and bubbly girl, adored by so many people! There was never a day that went by that she wasn’t helping anywhere she could. She was known to always cheer up her siblings if they were having a bad day, and if she had something she was always offering to share it! Djae had a special softness about her and it made all children love her! She had recently took up babysitting for a close friend of the family and had dreams of being a teacher. Djae loved hanging out with her siblings and friends. She especially enjoyed her strawberry banana smoothies and eating Takis, but most of all making her TikTok videos," her obituary states.

Thomas and James are accused of firing around nine shots into the Mason home, although a motive remains unclear. NewsSource reports D’Janeira's 10-year-old brother was shot in the arm and left injured.

A GoFundMe for the Mason family has raised nearly $30,000 dollars.

"We are extremely grateful for the outpouring of the community. We never expected the fundraiser to go this far due to the nature of the crime and the seriousness of it. We plan to use the extra funds for the rest of my siblings for Christmas, clothes and housing items because they left everything behind. Now we’re hoping a new beginning will help the rest of my younger siblings start moving on in their life," Chade Mason wrote in the GoFundMe.

The State Police were assisted in the investigation by the City of Kingston Police Department, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office and the Town of Ulster Police Department. The case remains under investigation, any persons with information are asked to contact the State Police at (845) 338-1702. All calls will be kept confidential.