A man from Iowa shot at his girlfriend and her five children, who were between the ages of 1 and 13, while they were inside a minivan in Tennessee last weekend. Tragically, a 4-year-old girl lost her life in the incident, and two other children sustained critical injuries.
The Metro Nashville Police disclosed that the violent episode occurred on Saturday night in Madison, where the 41-year-old woman and her children were on a visit to relatives, according to WZTV. The altercation unfolded when 26-year-old Jovien T. Smith and the woman engaged in a dispute while she was driving her Dodge minivan. The situation escalated, leading to Jovien discarding the woman’s cell phone out of the window and attempting to take control of the steering wheel, as per police reports.
The woman safely pulled to the side of the road, when Smith reportedly pulled out his pistol and started shooting.
After being struck multiple times, the woman managed to exit the vehicle and flee in search of assistance. Meanwhile, Smith fired shots at four of the children. The youngest victims, aged 1 and 7, are currently in critical condition, while the 4-year-old girl succumbed to her injuries. Law enforcement indicated that the three injured children sustained multiple gunshot wounds during the terrifying ordeal.
After shooting the children, Smith chased their mother as she sought help from nearby homes. Officers arrived quickly, however, and took the shooter into custody. The mother was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Smith was charged with one count of criminal homicide, five counts of attempted criminal homicide, three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of aggravated burglary.
His bond was set at $2.6 million, although the criminal homicide count carries no bond, so he won’t be getting out of jail before trial.
