In a tragic case of mistaken identity, 14-year-old Israel Diego Pascual was shot and killed on the evening of Monday, September 13, 2021, outside the Duck River Laundry in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The young man, who was a freshman at Shelbyville Central High School, was doing laundry with his family at the time of the incident. In the moments leading up to the fatal shooting, a surveillance camera inside the laundromat captured a touching moment as Israel shared a final hug with his mother,
whispering 'I love you mom.'
The investigation into the senseless act of violence quickly identified Horatio Lewis Rice as the suspected shooter. According to law enforcement, the murder was a result of Rice misidentifying Pascual as his intended target. Following the shooting, Rice, accompanied by his girlfriend Tiffany Dawn Taylor, fled the state. The two allegedly spray-painted their vehicle a different color to avoid detection and hid out at a hotel in Tunica, Mississippi.
A multi-state manhunt ensued, with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation adding Rice to their Top Ten Most Wanted list. On Friday, September 17, 2021, U.S. Marshals apprehended Rice and Taylor in Tunica. Both were extradited back to Bedford County, Tennessee, to face charges. Rice was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and being a felon in possession of a weapon, and was held without bond. Taylor was charged with accessory after the fact for allegedly assisting Rice in his attempt to evade arrest. Rice later confessed to the shooting during interviews with Shelbyville police.
