photo by: Contributed

Natasha Neal and Isaiah Neal

The mother of a slain Lawrence teen was arrested on Friday after she was charged with firing a gun at a residence with children inside.

Natasha Renae Neal, 45, of Lawrence, is charged in Douglas County District Court with one felony count of discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling. The charge is in connection with an incident on March 19 in the 1600 block of Haskell Avenue.

But Neal is proactively claiming her innocence, calling the Journal-World to say she was at the home in question, but was unarmed and did not fire any weapon. Instead, she said she’s being targeted by law enforcement because of her involvement in a protest in 2020 that shut down Massachusetts street and because she is aggressively investigating her 17-year old son’s shooting death.

A spokeswoman with the Lawrence Police Department denies the allegation that the police have targeted Neal or acted improperly.

“Our investigators have compiled ample evidence to support the arrest and will detail all of it in court,” police spokeswoman Laura McCabe said in an email. “Many of us at LKPD know Ms. Neal and we’ve worked very compassionately with her to avoid this outcome. It’s unfortunate she has gotten herself in this position.”

The Journal-World last month briefly reported on shots being fired at a home in the 1600 block of Haskell Avenue, but Neal’s arrest was the first time a suspect had been identified in the alleged crime. Because of what a sheriff’s spokesman called a “technical issue related to data entry,” Neal’s Friday arrest wasn’t listed on the jail’s booking log until Monday afternoon.

As the Journal-World reported, shots were fired at the Haskell Avenue residence after a dispute allegedly occurred between two people at the residence. Police allege that one of the aggrieved parties returned and fired on the residence while five people were inside, including children.

Neal told the Journal-World that she did go twice to the home in question on March 19 and that she was upset with a resident there over an alleged incident involving her family. But she said she didn’t have a weapon nor fire one.

Her arrest comes just weeks before a trial is set to begin for the man accused of killing Neal’s 17-year old son. Isaiah Neal was shot multiple times in the back on June 13, 2024, near his home at 2406 Alabama St. in Lawrence. Accused of killing Isaiah is Cir Allen Glover, 19, of Lawrence, who is scheduled to go to trial for first-degree murder on May 5.

Neal has publicly claimed law enforcement hasn’t properly investigated her son’s death, and she has rejected law enforcement’s assertion that Isaiah was involved in criminal behavior the night he was shot.

Neal was the longtime leader of a group who advocated for the release of Rontarus Washington Jr., a man who, at age 18, was accused of murdering a young woman. Washington spent several years in the Douglas County Jail before then-District Attorney Suzanne Valdez stopped prosecuting the case.

As for the March 19 incident, police have not released more details about the matter. Shortly after the incident, police said they had interviewed witnesses and found bullet shell casings outside the home.

Neal was arrested in connection with the March 19 shooting Friday night and was held on a $100,000 bond, which she posted the following day.