In the late afternoon of a Friday in Nashville, a sequence of events unfolded that tragically ended the life of 19-year-old Destinee Jno Baptiste. On September 9, 2022, in the rear parking lot of Oscar's Taco Restaurant on Fesslers Lane, two vehicles, an Infiniti sedan and a Nissan Rogue, arrived simultaneously, backing into adjacent parking spaces. Ms. Jno Baptiste, a female, exited the Rogue and entered the back seat of the Infiniti. Shortly after, gunfire erupted.
Two individuals, Dyquan Poole, 19, and Omarian Arrington, 17, also emerged from the Rogue and were captured on surveillance video shooting at the Infiniti. The gunfire proved fatal for Destinee Jno Baptiste. Two other occupants of the Infiniti, Dillon Bird, 21, and Juan Davila-Hugarte, 18, were critically wounded in the assault. The motive for the shooting remains under investigation by authorities.
Following the burst of violence, Poole and Arrington fled the scene in the Nissan Rogue. Their escape was short-lived, as the vehicle became disabled a short distance away at the intersection of Fesslers Lane and Lebanon Pike when it attempted to force its way between two trucks. The occupants of the Rogue then tried to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended by responding officers from the Hermitage Precinct. Another individual from the Rogue, 19-year-old Jaylen Floyd, was charged with evidence tampering after he was identified as fleeing the vehicle with a gun that was later recovered.
In connection with the death of Destinee Jno Baptiste, Dyquan Poole and Omarian Arrington were charged with criminal homicide and two counts of attempted criminal homicide. Poole has had previous encounters with law enforcement, including a 2018 charge for aggravated robbery and a 2019 charge for escape from a juvenile facility. Following their arrests for the restaurant shooting, a judicial commissioner set Poole's bond at $350,000, while Arrington was booked into juvenile detention. A total of eight firearms were recovered as part of the investigation into the incident that claimed the life of the young woman.
