In the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, a bright and loving 15-year-old girl named Dominique T. Nelson, who was a female, had her life tragically cut short on March 20, 2021. Dominique, who was known for her goofy nature and love for her family, music, and horseback riding, was fatally shot in a double homicide that also claimed the life of her inseparable best friend, 15-year-old Dominik Simmons.
The two had been friends since they were eight years old, and their families affectionately called them 'the Domos'.
The violence erupted on a Saturday night, after 10 p.m., near East 73rd Street and Norton Avenue, stemming from an argument between two groups of people. In the immediate aftermath of the gunfire, police discovered Dominique at the scene. It wasn't until the following afternoon that Dominik's body was found behind a vacant house about a block away from where the initial shooting occurred. The loss of the two teenagers sent ripples of grief through their community and families, who remembered Dominique for her strength and wisdom, traits she developed after losing her father to gun violence when she was just a toddler.
The investigation into the senseless killings led to the arrests of two juvenile suspects, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old. In December 2021, the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office announced that the 17-year-old, Edward T. Shelton, would be tried as an adult. Shelton was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of armed criminal action in the deaths of Dominique and Dominik. He was arrested on September 29, 2021, and prosecutors requested a $200,000 cash bond. The younger suspect was also charged in the juvenile court system.
