Reality TV star 'Kash' from 'Young & Reckless' shot and killed in Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- A growing memorial in downtown Oakland is honoring a 29-year-old reality television star who was shot and killed early Sunday morning, as her grieving family speaks out and investigators work to determine what led to the deadly encounter.
Mackayla Paige, known to fans as "Kash," was killed near 14th and Harrison streets shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
Oakland police said officers responding to reports of a shooting found a 29-year-old Richmond woman suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Officers attempted lifesaving measures before she was taken to a hospital, where she died.
Police have arrested another woman from Richmond in connection with the shooting but have not released her identity, announced charges or disclosed a possible motive.
Police, Paige's family and the streaming network Now That's TV have confirmed her identity.
For Paige's cousin, Azima King, the loss is still difficult to comprehend.
"Honestly I don't know how I feel. I'm floating. Shaking. I've been shaking since yesterday," King told ABC7 Eyewitness News on Monday.
Paige gained a following through her appearances on Now That's TV, a streaming platform featuring reality shows often centered around dramatic confrontations and physical fights.
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The network paid tribute to Paige on Instagram Sunday, remembering her appearances on shows including "Young & Reckless," "Roommhates" and "Now That's Riot."
"Though her time with us was far too short, her memory will live on," the network wrote.
But King said her cousin's ambitions extended far beyond reality television.
"She just wanted better for her life. And she wanted to be better. And she wanted to change," King said.
Paige's death comes just over a week after another fatal shooting involving the broader reality television entertainment scene in the Bay Area. On Oct. 3, 47-year-old security guard Ulysses Tykee Davis, a father of six, was shot and killed outside San Francisco's Warfield Theatre following an event associated with "Baddies USA," a reality series on the separate Zeus Network.
Prosecutors have charged 32-year-old Shakia Vanderbilt with murder in connection with Davis' death.
The two shootings have renewed questions about reality television programs that feature physical confrontations, with some social media users calling for the shows to be canceled.
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Dr. Donnetrice Allison, chair of the Africana Studies Department at Stockton University in New Jersey, has spent years researching how Black women are portrayed on reality television.
Allison said she worries about the influence of shows that turn physical fighting into entertainment, particularly as people seek attention and popularity on social media.
"People say 'It's harmless entertainment.' I really don't think it's that," Allison said, describing and challenging how some viewers dismiss the programming. She said the pressure to attract attention online can encourage increasingly extreme behavior.
"Nowadays, the way to get popular fast is for something over the top, and then you get a bunch of views, and then that's how you become known," Allison said.
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Allison also raised concerns about the role producers play in encouraging confrontations and the potential for behavior portrayed on television to influence viewers beyond the screen.
Meanwhile, video circulating on social media purports to show an altercation involving Paige before her death. Police have not confirmed the circumstances depicted in the footage, and ABC7 Eyewitness News has not independently verified that it shows the fatal encounter.
There is no evidence the two Bay Area shootings are connected or that either was caused by reality television programming.
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For Paige's family, the focus remains on remembering her life as investigators search for answers.
Oakland police have not said whether Paige and the woman arrested knew each other or what may have led to the shooting.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department's Homicide Section at 510-238-3821.
