In the early summer of 2018, the life of a young woman from Albany, New York, was violently cut short in a tragic sequence of events. Nahjayyah Daise, a 21-year-old female, died on June 3, 2018, after being shot and run over by her former boyfriend. The series of events that led to her death unfolded in a shocking and public manner, leaving a lasting scar on the community.
On that Sunday afternoon, Daise was in a vehicle with her 22-year-old on-again, off-again boyfriend, Larnell Kennedy. As they were driving, Kennedy shot Daise multiple times. After the car came to a stop, he attempted to move her before getting back into the vehicle and running her over. A witness at the scene courageously intervened, using their own vehicle to block Kennedy's escape.
Fleeing on foot, Kennedy ran from the scene and onto the nearby Interstate 90. In a chaotic end to the tragic events, he was struck by a vehicle and killed. First responders found Daise gravely injured at the intersection of Erie Street and Erie Boulevard. She was rushed to Albany Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation that followed painted a grim picture of a troubled relationship that ended in a devastating murder-suicide. While authorities noted the couple had their 'ups and downs,' there was no official record of domestic violence that would have foretold such a violent end. Due to the death of the perpetrator, Larnell Kennedy, there were no arrests or subsequent trial in the case of Nahjayyah Daise's death. The motive behind his violent actions remains ultimately unknown.
