On a late Saturday evening, what began as a birthday celebration at the swimming pool of the Cambridge at Hickory Hollow Apartments in Antioch, Tennessee, descended into chaos and tragedy. Twenty-year-old Kalem Burford, a Black male, was among the large crowd gathered for the party on June 11, 2022, when a dispute escalated into an exchange of gunfire shortly after 10:00 p.m.
In the ensuing panic, multiple shots were fired, causing people to run for cover.
During the gunfire, Burford was critically injured. He was transported by a private vehicle to Centennial Medical Center, where he ultimately succumbed to his wounds. Another young man, 18-year-old Demontae Darden, was also shot and died in the apartment complex parking lot. The violence of that night also left two other individuals with non-life-threatening injuries. One of the wounded was a 31-year-old resident of the complex who was struck in the leg after he stepped outside, mistaking the gunshots for fireworks and intending to ask for the noise to stop.
In the immediate aftermath, as officers from the South Precinct arrived, numerous vehicles were seen leaving the chaotic scene. The Metro Nashville Police Department's Homicide Unit and its specialized TITANS division launched an investigation into the deadly shooting. Detectives have been pursuing what they describe as active leads to understand the circumstances that led to the fatal dispute and to identify those responsible for the gunfire. Despite their ongoing efforts, no suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with the deaths of Kalem Burford and Demontae Darden. The police have urged anyone with information regarding the incident to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers.
