BROOKLYN, Ohio – The woman accused of fatally shooting her 6-year-old son in a Brooklyn hotel has been diagnosed with mental illness, including schizophrenia, her father said. The boy’s family tried unsuccessfully to obtain custody of the boy when they saw their condition worsen, he said.

Donald E. Bringht Sr., the father of Daneicha Bringht and the grandfather of 6-year-old Kaamir Bringht, said in a telephone interview that family members tried repeatedly to get Daneicha Bringht for treatment and when that failed they turned to Cuyahoga County Child and Family Services Department to see if he or Daniecha Bringht’s mother could take care of the boy.

DCFS was linked to the family when Kaamir died.

“We have all tried to get their help in more than one state,” said Donald Bringht. “Her mother tried to have the baby from her and social services said we are no longer taking children away from her parents.”

Daneicha Bringht, 30, is charged with murder in connection with Saturday’s shooting at the Fairfield Inn and Suits hotel on Tiedeman Road near Brookpark Road in Brooklyn.

Police wrote in court records that they admitted having shot her son multiple times, including in the head and stomach, after first reporting to police that a man shot her and her son in their hotel room. It is unclear why she and her son stayed at the hotel.

She is being held in Cuyahoga County Jail for $ 500,000. Your case will be examined by a grand jury of the district, which will decide on the further course of the case.

Donald Bringht said his grandson was full of energy, enjoyed watching his favorite cartoons and playing in the playground. He said he often took his grandson to the playground at Harvey Rice School in Cleveland and that his grandson visited Pre-K in Parma.

“He was remarkable,” said Donald Bringht. “He really wanted to learn what older children can do, like riding a bike. He wanted to do everything. “

Donald Bringht said Kaamir was Donechia’s only child but had about seven siblings on his father’s side.

“We are stunned and incredulous,” said Donald Bringht.

Bringht said his daughter showed signs of mental illness about four years ago. He said she would call family members and one day the family pastor and leave bizarre and “nasty” messages. In one case, a family member reported to the Cleveland Police Department in 2018 that Daneicha Bringht had sent her threatening messages after babysitting Kaamir.

Bringht said his daughter struggled during a chaotic time in her life and often refused to help the family. She was evicted from her Cleveland home in 2017 for failing to pay $ 450 rent in four months.

Later that year, Lakewood police arrested her after officers found her drunk and left with the boy who was not strapped in a stroller. Police noticed that she had an open bottle of brandy and blunt marijuana in the stroller. She did not advocate drunken disorderly behavior and marijuana possession, and requested payment of fines and legal costs of $ 292.

Lakewood Police reported that officials have notified Cuyahoga County DCFS. It is her only known criminal conviction.

When Daneicha Bringht lived in Parma in December 2018, she told police she had allowed a friend to live with her, but when she kicked him out, he threw a cinder block through her window.

In October 2019, Parma police tried to track her down after she hadn’t paid a $ 38 bill in a restaurant, according to police reports. A family member reportedly later paid the bill for her. In another incident that same month, a gas station worker called the police about Daneicha Bringht asking customers for money. Parma officers found her walking her son. She told the officers that she had no way to get home, and the officers drove her there.

In another incident in February 2020, a neighbor in Parma reported hearing her and a man arguing, someone mentioned a gun and heard the boy cry. Police records say the man was missing when officers arrived and the boy was unharmed.

Donald Bringht said family members tried to get their help.

“Whenever I tried to talk to her about help, she just started talking about something off the wall and changing the subject,” he said.

Soon, Daneicha Bringht’s mother turned to DCFS for help, Donald Bringht said. He said Daneicha Bringht’s mother reported to DCFS that her daughter cursed her grandson, including punching him in the stomach.

“She did it every day [to her son] and it was reported to the Children’s Services every day, ”said Donald Bringht. “But they didn’t do anything.”

Cuyahoga County spokeswoman Mary Louise Madigan on Monday ignored requests for information about Braght’s history with DCFS. On Tuesday, she said the agency had an open case with DCFS.

DCFS opened a case against Bringht on April 1, their second case in 2021, Madigan said.

Madigan said the agency had “questions” about Bringht’s parenting, including how she distributed the punishment and whether she had met her son’s basic needs. Madigan said there were no allegations of physical abuse.

A social worker held virtual meetings with Bringht because a family member had COVID-19, Madigan said.

The social worker interviewed Kaamir, who said he was not afraid of his mother, Madigan said. The case was active at the time of Kaamir’s death, and DCFS was backing Bringht, Madigan said.

DCFS also opened a case with Bringht on January 22nd regarding what Madigan called “unfortunate” housing. She said social workers advised Bringht and the house had been cleaned, and Bringht addressed the social workers’ problems before DCFS closed the case.

It is the second time in the past few weeks that a child with an open DCFS case has been fatally shot. Hershawna Rias, 17, was in a nursing home and officially in DCFS detention when she ran away from her nursing home in Parma. Two days later, on April 9th, she was shot dead in Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood.

Bringht said the shooting left her family shocked, saddened and scared for Daneicha. He said regardless of what happens in the legal process, she needs psychiatric care.

“I don’t hate my daughter, but I hate what she did,” he added. “I pray for you. If she goes to jail, I don’t know what will happen to her. “

He said he was unable to visit his daughter in prison due to coronavirus restrictions and may not be able to do so for some time.

“I’m losing my grandson, maybe my daughter for the rest of her life, and all I want is someone to help her with mental illness,” said Donald Bringht. “If she has to be in a mental hospital for the rest of her life, that’s fine. I just want her to get help. Once she realizes what happened, it will destroy her even more. I don’t think she really knows what happened. “

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