Date of Birth: August 26, 2013
Date of Death: September 7, 2019
Death by gunshot wound

Ty Dodson’s teachers at Allen County Primary Center in Scottsdale, Ky., called the 6-year-old “Ty the Science Guy” because he liked to build things and he liked to play outdoors, said his mother Jennifer Smalling. His mom recalled he was “absolutely in love” with superheroes.  Spiderman was his favorite. Actually, Ty had already decided he wanted to be a superhero when he grew up, his mother said. “He was always energetic. There was never a dull moment with him, for sure.” In a family with five children, Ty was the only boy. On September 7, 2019, Ty died from a gunshot wound in an incident of domestic violence.

Date of Birth: February 21, 2005
Date of Death: March 11, 2020
Death by severe head trauma

Tyrone “TJ” Foxworth II loved sports in general and football in particular. “That’s all he ever talked about, being in the NFL. He loved football,” said his dad, Tyrone Foxworth Sr. Even before high school, TJ excelled in sports. At Thurgood Marshall Middle School, he was on the wrestling team and took second place in a statewide competition. Like most teens, TJ threw himself into his computer games. He had lots of friends, and he was very close to his sister. “He was just a well-rounded teen,” said his father, adding that while TJ loved sports, he loved his family more.  “I want to get across what a sweet kid he was. The first thing he’d say is, ‘Daddy, I love you. Give me a hug. Mama, I love you, give me a hug.’ That’s what I miss.” In March 2020, TJ was a student at Cane Ridge High School. He died from severe head trauma on March 11, 2020.

Dates of Birth: June 29, 2002
Date of Death: April 9, 2020
Death by gunshot wound

Ashanti Posey Harris was looking forward to graduating with the Hillsboro High School Class of 2020 and attending Western Kentucky University, where she had won a full athletic scholarship. “She loved basketball,” said mom Amber Posey. She was also hard-working and industrious. Ashanti traveled to Europe with friends in 2019, and according to her mother: “She worked two jobs and earned enough money to pay for the whole trip. We just gave her spending money.” Ashanti was not only a basketball standout, she was also an academic achiever. “She was awarded an additional $32,000 in academic scholarships,” Amber Posey noted. On Thursday, April 9, 2020 – just a month and a week shy of graduation – Ashanti died from gunshot wounds. “She didn’t get to march, but she graduated,” said her mother. The school awarded Ashanti her high school diploma posthumously.

Date of Birth: August 8, 2001
Date of Death: June 14, 2018
Death by gunshot wound

LaQuan Link, or “Quan,” as his family called him, loved sports. He played football, soccer, basketball – all the sports. And the Hunters Lane sophomore loved video games, his mother Miesha Link recalled. Quan had a great sense of humor and liked to make everyone laugh.  Speaking of her close relationship with all of her children, Ms. Link said, “We do everything together. We even visited him [Quan].” She was referring to the family’s visit to see her deceased son’s name on display with the names of others who lost their lives to violence.  Quan was standing outside his home on June 14, 2018, when he was shot.

Date of Birth: January 7, 2006
Date of Death: October 22, 2020
Death by physical abuse

Fourteen-year-old Sayeed Neilson had just started high school in the fall of 2020. A McGavock High freshman, Sayeed had already decided he wanted to be an architect or work with computers.  He was a happy child and a good student. “He was just a sweet kid. I can’t think of anyone he didn’t like or who didn’t like him,” said his dad, Don Neilson. The indoor type, Sayeed preferred television and video games to sports. His favorite shows were “Star Wars Rebels” and “Stranger Things.” There was one outside activity Sayeed loved, said his dad: “Walking his dog. He loved walking his dog Chloe.” Sayeed had a full life, but he did miss out on one thing in the pandemic year of 2020 – the in-person high school experience. “With COVID and everything, he really got cheated,” his father said. Sayeed passed away from physical abuse on October 23, 2020.

Date of Birth: February 8, 2015
Date of Death: May 27, 2018
Death by abuse

Laylani Rose-Tamkin was extremely bright and could hold a conversation with any adult, her mother Gabriela Rose-Tamkin said. “She understood a lot more than a 3-year-old should. I never talked to her as a baby.” Laylani attended the pre-school at the Jewish Community Center, where she was loved by her classmates. She was curious and wanted to learn about everything, said Ms. Rose-Tamkin. She liked rainbows, but purple was her favorite color. On May 27, 2018, Laylani’s mother left her daughter at home with a caregiver while she went to work. When Ms. Rose-Tamkin returned home at the end of the day, she found her daughter unresponsive. She immediately transported Laylani to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, where the child died.

Date of Birth: September 22, 2007
Date of Death: October 7, 2019
Death by stabbing

Lewis Taylor describes his son Jayden Taylor as a well-loved kid who had a lot of friends. “He hung out with friends in the neighborhood, friends at school. I didn’t know he had that many friends,” Taylor said of the Thurgood Marshall Middle School 7th-grader. He described Jayden as an outgoing and active boy who loved football, basketball, the outdoors and ATVing.  Naturally, a love for Jordans – and Nikes in general — went along with the sports interests.  Jayden loved caring for his sisters and was very protective of his mom. “He always wanted to be like me. He wanted to be a policeman when he grew up,” said Taylor, a former officer.  Jayden died on October 7, 2019, from a stabbing related to domestic violence.

Date of Birth: January 2, 2010
Date of Death: June 6, 2017
Death by gunshot wound

Just seven years old, Harmony Warfield was already presenting makeup tutorials on her own YouTube channel, according to mom Shaketa Warfield. The second-grader at Nashville’s Purpose Prep loved to read and was taking on chapter books.  Harmony was excited about learning. She loved Purpose Prep, where one of the hallways – Harmony Hall – was posthumously named for her. “She was very, very smart,” Ms. Warfield said, recalling “The Princess and the Frog” as the last book her daughter read. Even though Harmony is gone now, Ms. Warfield said she makes frequent trips to the gravesite to read to her. Harmony died from a gunshot wound on June 6, 2017, while visiting a relative.