Background: A photograph of the location on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn. (Metro Nashville Police Department). Inset: Jovian T. Smith (Metro Nashville Police Department).
An Iowa man faces homicide charges in Tennessee after he allegedly opened fire on his girlfriend and her five children, killing one of them.
Jovian T. Smith, a 26-year-old, was taken into custody by the Nashville Police. They charged him with the alleged shooting of his 41-year-old girlfriend and her five children on Friday night. Tragically, a 4-year-old girl was fatally wounded. Smith is being held on a $2.6 million bond.
According to police reports, the mother along with her remaining four children were hospitalized with severe injuries, except for one child who escaped being hit.
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WZTV, a local Fox affiliate based in Nashville reported that the alleged shooting occurred following a domestic dispute between Smith and the woman, who was not identified by police. The couple and the woman’s five children — who ranged in age from 1 to 13 years old — were all from Iowa and visiting family in the Nashville area.
The seven passengers were traveling in a Dodge minivan when, according to police, an argument between Smith and his girlfriend sparked a physical altercation. Smith reportedly grabbed the woman’s phone and threw it out the window of the van. He also allegedly tried to grab the steering wheel of the van.
WZTV reported that the woman was able to pull the vehicle over on a suburban road, at which point Smith allegedly opened fire on her, hitting her multiple times. She was able to escape the van to run for help, but while she ran, Smith then allegedly turned his gun on the children, firing several shots at them while inside the van.
Police said that the four children who were hit sustained several gunshot wounds each. Two children remain in critical condition.
According to police, Smith continued to pursue the woman on foot while she ran door to door for help. Police responded to the scene quickly and apprehended Smith upon arrival. The woman reportedly remains hospitalized in serious condition.
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. He is in custody at Nashville’s Downtown Detention Center, held on $2.6 million bond.
