In the summer of 2017, a tragedy struck a Nashville community when 15-year-old Jaezoine Woods lost his life. On July 25th, in the J.C. Napier public housing development, a drive-by shooting erupted, and Jaezoine, who was among a crowd of people, was fatally wounded. The young male was not the intended target of the gunfire that tragically cut his life short.
He was outside a residence on Lewis Street, running for cover along with several others when he was struck.
The investigation into the senseless act of violence stretched on for nearly two years. In June of 2019, a significant breakthrough came when Metro Nashville Police Department's Gang Unit detectives arrested 22-year-old Tevin Griffin. He was taken into custody at his apartment on a first-degree murder indictment for his alleged role in the shooting. At the time of this arrest, Griffin, a convicted felon, was already out on bond for a separate murder charge from February 2017 and was also serving a probated sentence for aggravated assault and cocaine convictions.
A couple of months later, in August 2019, a second and final suspect was charged in connection with Jaezoine's death. Freddie Calbert, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was booked for criminal homicide. He was 19 years old when he was charged and was already in federal custody on unrelated gun and drug charges. Due to his age at the time of the offense, his case was initially handled in Juvenile Court, with an expectation of a hearing to determine if he would be tried as an adult.
The arrests of Griffin and Calbert brought some measure of progress in the quest for justice for Jaezoine Woods. The investigation revealed the heartbreaking reality that the young boy was an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire. The case highlighted the persistent issue of gun violence and its devastating impact on communities and the lives of young people.
