‘It just breaks my heart’: Family, community mourn 13-year-old shot, killed at Bellevue park
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A young teen who died following a shooting at a Bellevue park Wednesday night is being remembered as kind, caring, and sweet.
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said 13-year-old Aayden Hayes and his 16-year-old sister were shot at Red Caboose Park shortly before 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29.
After officers found Aayden on the parking lot pavement with multiple gunshot wounds, he was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), where he was pronounced dead. Meanwhile, his sister made it to the fire station next to the park, where she received emergency medical care and was brought to the hospital, according to authorities.
The victims’ family was heartbroken, crying that it’s just too much. Their mother shared pictures captured just last week after Aayden graduated from Bellevue Middle School.
Boy killed, sister wounded in Bellevue park shooting
The mother was trying to cope with the loss of her little boy while her daughter, An’Raya Hayes, was undergoing surgery at VUMC on Thursday, May 30.
Several community members, including Lillian White and her 13-year-old niece, stopped by the park Thursday to drop off flowers, trinkets, and cards expressing their support for the grieving family.
“I’ve seen so many children play and this has always been a safe happy place, always, and kids have to have a safe place to go, families have to have a safe place to go, and that this would happen — two kids by kids — it’s just, it’s just a sharp knife in your heart,” White said as her eyes filled with tears.
White lives across from the park. She said her family heard the commotion Wednesday night.
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“We heard the sirens very loudly and the helicopter. It was very scary. I just feel like it’s crazy that somebody my age, it’s just, it’s hard to believe,” White’s niece, Rylee Morris, explained.
The principal of Bellevue Middle School released a statement following the shooting, saying, in part, “Aayden had many friends and was a kind and caring student who was easy to like and get along with. Our heart breaks for his family, friends, and for this community who have lost a young person to gun violence.”
In an online post, a former teacher said Aayden was a sweet and quiet boy. Meanwhile, a parent who knew the teen told News 2 Aayden was a good kid, gone too soon.
“I just wanted to hold my heart out for the family who’s dealing with the impact of this, and so I just wanted to leave something because this is a place that my children play, and a child was lost here. I think that needs to be reckoned with,” a mother told News 2 as she dropped off flowers.
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According to authorities, 15-year-old De’Anthony Osasosifo — who matched the description provided by witnesses — was found walking on Highway 70, less than half a mile from the park, and detained. During an interview at MNPD headquarters, Osasosifo reportedly admitted to shooting a gun during a fight among teens at the park.
Officials said a trained dog with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) located a gun along Osasosifo’s path. The nine-millimeter semi-automatic was reported stolen from a vehicle in Murfreesboro last year.
At this point, the investigation shows that two groups of teenagers met at the park to fight concerning over an ongoing dispute between girls from each group, police said.
A spokesperson for Metro Nashville Public Schools said An’Raya, who is still recovering from the shooting, and Osasosifo, who is set to be charged with criminal homicide and attempted criminal homicide in juvenile court, attended James Lawson High School this past school year.
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