Marek Akeem Winters, a 21-year-old male from Antioch, Tennessee, whose race and ethnicity have not been publicly specified, was killed on the night of Saturday, November 22, 2025, during what police describe as a drug-transaction-related shooting at the Willow Pointe Apartments on Hickory Hollow Terrace in Antioch. Around 8 p.m., residents reported gunfire in the complex’s parking lot.
Investigators later said that Winters and a 16-year-old male friend had gone there to conduct an alleged drug deal when the encounter turned violent and gunshots were fired. Multiple shell casings were recovered in the lot, supporting the conclusion that the shooting began at Willow Pointe rather than at the location where the victims were ultimately found.
After being struck by gunfire, Winters managed to drive the wounded teenager away from the apartment complex in a Honda sedan, heading toward Bell Road. Not far from the scene, the vehicle crashed in the parking lot of a Mapco gas station on Bell Road, where officers responding to reports of a collision found both occupants suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside the car. Emergency personnel transported Winters and his 16-year-old passenger to Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Winters later died of his injuries at the hospital, while the teen was stabilized and remained in stable condition, according to police.
In the immediate aftermath, Metro Nashville Police announced that homicide detectives were pursuing “strong leads” and asked the public for information, describing the case as an active investigation tied to a suspected drug transaction. Within a few days, that investigation focused on two teenage brothers. Homicide detectives tracked 16-year-old Therese Gaddy and his 14-year-old brother, Justus Gaddy, to their godmother’s apartment on Hobson Pike on Wednesday night and took them into custody. During interviews at Metro Nashville Police Department headquarters, both brothers reportedly implicated themselves in the Antioch shooting that killed Winters and wounded his friend. Following those statements, authorities charged Therese and Justus in juvenile court with criminal homicide, attempted criminal homicide, and unlawful gun possession in connection with the November 22 attack.
Their arrest led to additional charges for the adult who had been housing them. The boys’ 48-year-old godmother, identified as Eric Haddock, was also taken into custody after detectives searched her Hobson Pike apartment. In her bedroom, investigators reported finding approximately 15 grams of cocaine, 43 grams of marijuana, digital scales, a grinder and plastic bags—items consistent with drug distribution. Detectives further discovered that Therese had escaped from Department of Children’s Services custody in May and had been living with Haddock and his brother at the apartment. Haddock was arrested on multiple drug charges as well as a charge of harboring a child, then posted bond and was released early on Thanksgiving morning; she is scheduled to appear in court on January 30 to face those charges. Meanwhile, the Gaddy brothers remain charged in juvenile court as the alleged perpetrators of the shooting that claimed Winters’s life and left his teenage friend wounded.
