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On May 30, four-year-old toddler Taliyah Frazier was fatally gunned down in a car during a shooting in Nashville. According to local authorities, four men were charged with homicide in relation to the shooting on June 6. Investigators believe that the suspects accidentally killed Taliya Frazier while targeting a 22-year-old man who was driving the vehicle.
Trigger warning: This article concerns gun violence, the reader's discretion is advised.
The shooting of Taliyah Frazier is currently under investigation, and the motive behind the attack remains undisclosed. The suspects in the case were identified as Keimari Johnson, 20, Trey Dennis, 23, Kenlando Lewis,18, and Lamarion Buchanan, 19. Buchanan is currently under police custody in the State of North Carolina.
In addition to the felony homicide charges, Keimari Johnson faces charges of marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession, weapon possession, evading arrest, and driving on a suspended license. Kenlando Lewis is facing charges of theft of a firearm, possession, evading arrest, and weapon possession.
Taliyah Frazier was struck with a bullet in the head
The shooting of Taliyah Frazier occurred at 7:50 pm, at the intersection of Dickerson Pike and Douglas Avenue. Frazier was riding in the back of a Chevrolet Malibu with two two-year-old male twins and the twins' 22-year-old father.
The shooting began at a red light, when the four suspects got out of their cars and fired approximately 20 rifle rounds at the car full of children. Taliyah Frazier was struck in the head. A bullet grazed one of the twins, who suffered a non-critical injury.
As the shots were fired, the 22-year-old father sped away and drove the toddlers to a dollar store, where the mother of the three children worked. Once safe, they called paramedics, who quickly tended to the young victims. Taliyah Frazier was pronounced dead the next day.
Nashville Police Chief John Drake condemned the brazen shooting.
Drake said:
“Taliyah was a precious, innocent girl, a child of this community who should be alive today. A 4-year-old struck down by gunfire impacts all of us.”
One witness at the scene described the gruesome attack.
The witness told WKRN:
“I could tell she was really, really hurt because the back of her shirt was soaked in blood. I’ve never seen anything like it. I was so shaken up. I’ve been to crime scenes but never with babies involved. I was praying for her so hard last night, I just couldn’t believe that evilness was that great. That was just a pure act of evil.”
During the course of the investigation, officers determined that the shooting was a targeted killing. The Rutherford Source noted that on Friday, June 2, the suspects' abandoned car was discovered near Nashville.
No further details about the shooting have been released.
