Javonte Robinson, an 18-year-old African American male, was fatally shot on January 28, 2017, in Madison, Tennessee, in what authorities believe was a planned robbery. The incident unfolded at the Nashwood Park Apartments located on North Dupont Avenue. Robinson was in the passenger seat of a parked car with 20-year-old Roy Hunter, who was in the driver's seat. A third individual who was in the back seat reportedly exited the vehicle and walked towards the apartments.
Shortly after, two individuals approached the car and opened fire. Robinson was pronounced dead at the scene. Hunter was critically injured and transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment.
The investigation into the shooting led to the arrest of three 16-year-old suspects: Jevon Wilson, Terrance Rainey, and Byron Berkley. All three were charged with criminal homicide and especially aggravated robbery. According to law enforcement, the shooting was the result of a premeditated robbery targeting Robinson and Hunter. The suspects, who were described as wearing hooded sweatshirts and bandannas that obscured their faces, were taken into custody and held in a juvenile detention facility. After the shooting, the assailants pulled both victims from the car and fled in the vehicle, which was later found abandoned.
The case drew significant public attention, partly because Roy Hunter is the son of a Metro School Board member. In the years following the initial arrests, Byron Berkley, one of the teens charged, was arrested again in April 2020 on unrelated charges while out on bond for the 2017 murder case. He and Terrance Rainey were indicted on charges of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and robbery-carjacking for the incident that resulted in Javonte Robinson's death.
