David White, Jr., a 24-year-old Black man from Nashville, Tennessee, was the son of David White, Sr., and Lorraine Anglin. His family was left to plan a funeral for him on what should have been his 25th birthday, a day after his life was violently cut short.
On the evening of Sunday, February 12, 2017, an argument broke out in a residential area of North Nashville. Around 5:45 p.m., in the 900 block of 16th Avenue North near Herman Street, the dispute escalated to gunfire. David was shot multiple times in front of several houses. Emergency services rushed him to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but he did not survive his injuries.
Metro Nashville Police Department detectives descended on the scene, spending hours collecting shell casings and speaking with potential eyewitnesses. In the immediate aftermath, investigators worked to piece together David’s final hours and determine who he had been with that afternoon.
They publicly asked for anyone with information about the shooting to come forward as they searched for the person responsible.
For over a year, David’s family and community waited for answers. Then, in March 2018, authorities announced a break in the case. A grand jury indicted 21-year-old Tevin Griffin on a charge of first-degree murder for the shooting death of David White. At the time the indictment was served, Griffin was already incarcerated for other violent crimes. He had been convicted in November 2017 of aggravated assault for a shooting on Blank Street the previous September, as well as felony cocaine possession. For those offenses, he was sentenced to one year in jail followed by five years of probation. Police also noted that as a 17-year-old, Griffin had been charged with criminal homicide in connection with a separate fatal shooting in 2014.
As of the indictment in March 2018, Tevin Griffin stood formally accused of murdering David White. The case was then set to move forward through the court system.
