Date of birth: January 6, 2006
Date of death: November 24, 2020
Death by gunshot wound

Fourteen-year-old Donquez “Quez” Abernathy was a boy-boy, his mom Taresha Abernathy said. He loved football, climbing trees, being outside, playing with other kids and – of course – video games. He was “full of life.” Listening to music was one of his passions, and the rapper Rod Wave was his favorite artist. Quez was a kid who loved his family and was a great big brother to his younger siblings. His mother said he loved animals too and had set his sights on becoming a veterinarian. He was a freshman at Hillsboro High School, having just finished West End Middle. Ms. Abernathy feels certain her first-born would have played football at Hillsboro, had it been possible. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Quez was forced to attend school virtually and never got to enjoy the high-school experience. Ms. Abernathy would like for all to remember that Quez was “a really great kid who got taken away way too soon.” Quez died November 24, 2020, from a gunshot wound.

Date of birth: March 18, 2005
Date of death: September 26, 2021
Death by gunshot wound

Ja’Niya Birdsong made an impression on everyone she met, said her mother, Jacqueline Birdsong. A participant in the Big Sister Little Sister program, Ja’Niya so impressed her Big Sister that she had her own room in that family’s home. Ja’Niya was on the school wrestling team and played cello at Hillsboro High School, where she was in her junior year. At church, she was a praise dancer. In addition, Ja’Niya had set herself a very specific goal. “She wanted a car, so she was working two jobs,” said her mom. Ms. Birdsong wanted more and better experiences for Ja’Niya than she had had, and the two decided that Ja’Niya would move to Atlanta after graduation to attend beauty school. “She wanted to be a hair-stylist.” Those plans and dreams were shattered September 26, 2021, when Ja’Niya died from gunfire.

Date of birth: September 27, 2018
Date of death: October 9, 2020
Death by abuse

Cincere Hathaway was a busy little boy who didn’t have time to wait for Mom to teach him to walk. “He taught himself to walk,” said Ciara Rucker. “He did not want to be patient with Mommy.” He would crawl up the stairs and slide down. He kept working at it until he was on his feet. Cincere attended Pride N Joy Daycare, where he was doing extremely well. At home, he loved to ride his dirt truck and play with his sister. Although independent in many ways, Cincere was still “Mommy’s boy.” “He loved being around me. When I would go in the bathroom and lock the door, all you could see was his little hands under the door,” said Ms. Rucker. Cincere was a loving and playful child, and that is how his mother wants people to remember him. Her son died on October 9, 2020, from abuse while in the care of a sitter.

Date of Birth: January 21, 2001
Date of Death: September 17, 2018
Death by assault

Miles Leslie Hunter was a unique teen, able to identify virtually every country on the map and recite a fact or two about each one, his mother Catherine Medley said. A senior at McGavock High School, the 17-year-old’s favorite subjects were history and geography, and he enjoyed traveling. A lover of music and musically inclined himself, Miles played guitar and piano. His mom said he was even known to sing loudly listening to music, especially in the shower. Miles also had a soft and serious side. “I think what meant more to his peers was Miles was always a listening ear. He seemed to always listen to his friends. That’s a compassionate thing,” Ms. Medley said. Miles died after he was beaten and run over by a truck.

Date of birth: December 16, 2019
Date of death: January 5, 2020
Death by severe brain injury

Harmony Elizabeth Lemons had brown eyes, long eyelashes, pretty skin and a head full of black hair that was especially curly when wet, said her mother, Chelsea Stewart. “She was the best one out of all my kids,” she said, adding that Harmony was very independent, even at such a young age. Ms. Stewart described her daughter as happy about everything, an extremely good child who never cried or threw fits. She said she liked cuddling with Harmony, who – once she went to sleep – slept all night long. Like all mothers, Ms. Stewart had a dream for her daughter, a dream “for her to just be the best she can be” and hopes that Harmony might become a lawyer. The little girl died on January 5, 2020, from severe brain injury.

Date of birth: April 15, 2006
Date of death: October 5, 2021
Death by gunshot wound

Latherious “Shubbie” Lewis loved playing basketball. “Basketball, that was his thing – and video games,” said his grandmother Carroll Lewis. Unlike many teen-age boys (and to his grandmother’s delight), 15-year-old Latherious was a cleanliness fanatic. “He liked to keep things clean and looking good all the time,” she said. Her grandson was a quiet, family-oriented kid who always wanted to be sure things were well with his grandmother, siblings, and cousins. Ms. Lewis misses much about Latherious, but two things in particular: First is his smile. The other is a rhyming game the two of them would play: “Love me hug me, miss me kiss me.” Latherious was looking forward to playing basketball at Hillsboro High School, where he was a sophomore, “but he never had the chance,” said Ms. Lewis. Latherious died October 5, 2021, from gunfire.

Date of Birth: July 10, 2017
Date of Death: April 12, 2021
Death by gunshot wound

Jamayla Marlowe was only 3 years old but already loved eyelashes, lip gloss and doing hair, her mom Anyetta Marlowe said. The middle of three girls, “Bink,” as her family lovingly called her, also liked watching YouTube and TikTok on her phone and on her tablet, and dancing was one of her favorite activities. Ms. Marlowe said there was something different about Jamayla … some unique quality that was always present – “She was gifted, and anyone could tell that.”
Ms. Marlowe said her daughter touched a lot of people, saying “Bink” knew more people than she. “I would be in the store or somewhere and people would say, ‘Aren’t you Jamayla’s mama?’ and I would wonder, ‘how do you know her when I don’t know you?’” Ms. Marlowe noted after Jamayla’s death that the little girl was flashing a peace sign in virtually all of her photos. Jamayla died of a gunshot wound on April 12, 2021 – the same day her mother learned Jamayla had
landed a pre-school slot at Frederick Douglass Head Start.

Date of birth: November 18, 2019
Date of death: August 7, 2021
Death by fentanyl poisoning

Most of 21-month-old Korran Newsom’s life was lived during the pandemic, when the city was virtually shut down. But his mother and grandmother found lots of ways to keep the toddler busy. Korran was a happy, inquisitive child who loved books. “He would go get a book and bring it to me. I thought he was just showing it to me, then I figured out he wanted me to read to him,” his mom Keionda Newsom said. He also liked for his mother to sing the alphabet song and would
try to sing along with her. An active child, Korran enjoyed feeding the ducks in the park, playing with trucks and cars, exercising, and slow-dancing with his mom. “He was always watching his granny clean, so he loved the broom and liked to sweep,” she said. Ms. Newsom wants people to remember her son as a friendly child who liked to share. On August 7, 2021, Korran died from acute fentanyl intoxication while in the care of a sitter.

Date of birth: February 5, 2020
Date of death: January 27, 2021
Death by methamphetamine poisoning

“She was so happy; she could never be sad.” That’s the way Dystanie Shadowens describes her daughter Alayna, adding that the only time the little one cried was when she was hungry or needed her diaper changed. Alayna loved unicorns and watching the popular children’s movie “Frozen.” She had already begun to swim and “had a ball” doing it, her mom said. Alayna’s favorite foods were cheese puffs, bananas and mashed potatoes. Although Alayna died a few days shy of her first birthday, her mom has some idea what her daughter might have done had her life not been cut short. “She really loved people. I think she would have done something to help people, like be a nurse. Alayna was a sweet and loving baby who could fill you up with happiness. If you were ever depressed, all you had to do was look at her.” On January 27, 2021, Alayna died from acute methamphetamine poisoning while in the care of a sitter.

Date of Birth: October 23, 2006
Date of Death: November 26, 2021
Death by gunshot

Fifteen-year-old Tavarius Sherrell looked forward to playing on the Pearl-Cohn High School football team this year. He loved football, having already played three years for the Jefferson Street Bills, his mother Shakia Sherrell said. The ninth grader liked wrestling, playing with his siblings, listening to music – his favorite artist was NBA Young Boy – and playing video games. “He was a happy child,” Ms. Sherrell said. Tavarius seemed to be coming into his own. He had a
girlfriend. He joined the church his grandmother attends. “He got baptized just two months before this happened,” his mom said, adding Tavarius’ grandmother was so proud of him she bought him an engraved Bible. “It didn’t arrive in time” for Tavarius to enjoy it. He died November 26, 2021, from a gunshot wound.

Date of birth: April 28, 2021
Date of death: May 12, 2021
Death by gunshot wound

Grace Terrell was not on this Earth very long – two weeks, to be exact – but she had an incredible impact on those around her, according to grandmother Latora Terrell. Staff at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt were always visiting Grace, she said. Taken early by emergency C-section, the tiny girl weighed 2 pounds, 3 ounces at birth and had a head full of straight hair. “I nicknamed her Jellybean, because her head was shaped like a jellybean,” said
Ms. Terrell. No one knows what Grace would have become, but her grandmother has an idea: “I think Baby Grace would have followed in her mother’s footsteps as a dancer and singer.” Ms. Terrell believes her granddaughter would also have been a fighter, because “she came here fighting for her life.” Grace’s death was due to a gunshot wound that also resulted in the death of her mother, LaQuisha Terrell.

Date of Birth: January 12, 2006
Date of Death: February 4, 2021
Death by gunshot wound

EJ Utley loved sports. He was a member of the Hillsboro High School football team, the National Playmakers Association football program and the Nashville Youth Basketball Association elite travel basketball team. He loved family and serving others with just as much passion, or more, his mother Tracy Walls said. EJ liked to cook and spend time with close friends and his brother Ethan. Ms. Walls said EJ had a loving heart and great compassion for others. His actions bore that out. The popular teen volunteered in the community and loved to serve alongside his mother and Ethan feeding the homeless at his church – St. John African Methodist Episcopal – through the Room in the Inn program. “I will remember his loving heart and his compassion for others,” Ms. Walls said. EJ died February 4, 2021, from a gunshot wound.