Police: 19-year-old woman dead, 4 hurt after southeast Nashville apartment shooting
BREAKING: A 24 yr old suspected shooter has been taken into custody in Cheatham County in relation to this afternoon's homicide of an adult woman and the wounding of 3 of her relatives at Stonebrook Apts off Old Hickory Blvd in South Nashville. This appears to be domestic related pic.twitter.com/jsUQBMB6o4
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) August 4, 2022
A Murfreesboro 19-year-old was killed in a shooting while trying to help her cousin move out of a Hickory Trace Drive apartment Thursday afternoon, Nashville police said.
Don Aaron, a Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman, identified the 19-year-old victim as Saniya Lofton.
Lofton's mother, cousin, and 16-year-old brother were also shot. Her other 16-year-old brother was treated for minor injuries after jumping out of a second floor window to escape the gunfire, Aaron said.
Shaquavius Moore, 24, of Decatur, Illinois, faces a criminal homicide charge in connection with the shooting, along with four counts of attempted criminal homicide. Moore admitted to opening fire inside the apartment and claimed it was in self defense.
He is being held in a Davidson County jail on a $650,000 bond and is set to appear in court Monday, records show.
How the shooting unfolded
Officers were called to the scene in the 300 block of Hickory Trace Drive about 3 p.m. Thursday.
A 22-year-old woman, who lived in the apartment with her 4-year-old son, called upon her 36-year-old cousin and her cousin's three children — including Lofton — to help her move from the unit.
Moore, who is the 4-year-old child's uncle, was in town and staying in the apartment.
Aaron said police believe an argument ensued because of the move. That's when police believe Moore retrieved a gun from inside the apartment and started shooting.
Lofton stumbled out to the front stoop and died there, Aaron said.
Her mother was shot in the arm, her cousin was shot in the leg and her brother was shot in the chest. The three were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment, along with Lofton's other brother who jumped from a window.
Moore fled and discarded the gun near the apartment complex, Aaron said. Police were able to find the pistol.
Moore later pulled off Interstate 24 in Cheatham County at a barbecue restaurant before calling police to speak with them about the shooting, Aaron said. Police took Moore into custody at the restaurant.
Reporter Rachel Wegner contributed to this story.
Contact Tennessean reporter Kirsten Fiscus at 615-259-8229 or KFiscus@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KDFiscus.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville apartment shooting on Hickory Trace Drive: 1 dead, 4 hurt
