In December of 2019, a 17-year-old male named Javon Brown was fatally shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while walking home from school. The incident occurred on a Monday afternoon, December 2, 2019, on Ottawa Drive. Brown was in the company of a friend after getting off a school bus when they were confronted by three other teenagers. The assailants reportedly instigated a fight with Brown.
In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, Brown put on his headphones to ignore his aggressors, but he was then attacked from behind.
During the ensuing altercation, one of the teens, identified as 18-year-old Davaughn Tate, allegedly pulled out a firearm and shot Brown. After the shooting, all three attackers fled the scene. Javon Brown was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away the following day, on Tuesday, December 3, 2019. The three suspects were quickly identified as Davaughn Tate, his 16-year-old brother Jeffrey Tate, and 16-year-old Kevin Anderson.
Within a day of the attack, Kevin Anderson was taken into custody. He had also sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound during the incident, believed to have been from the same bullet that killed Brown, and was arrested after seeking treatment at a hospital. The Tate brothers remained at large for two days before they were apprehended on Wednesday, December 4, 2019. Davaughn Tate faced charges of second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon. A grand jury later indicted him for the murder of Javon Brown.
Initially, Jeffrey Tate and Kevin Anderson were charged with principal to second-degree murder, principal to illegal use of a weapon, and simple battery. However, a judge later ruled that Jeffrey Tate, who was described as the instigator of the confrontation, would be tried as an adult and his charge was upgraded to second-degree murder. Court records indicated that the Tate brothers are related to the rapper known as NBA YoungBoy. The investigation suggested that an ongoing feud between the suspects and Javon Brown, who all attended Belaire High School, led to the fatal shooting.
