In the early evening of Tuesday, January 11, 2022, a dispute between two teenagers who had been friends since childhood culminated in a fatal shooting in Anniston, Alabama. Taevion Fife, a 15-year-old from Gadsden, was found lying in the road at the intersection of 13th Street and Christine Avenue with a gunshot wound. Emergency services treated him at the scene before transporting him to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The Anniston Police Department quickly
launched an investigation into the shooting. Their preliminary findings led them to identify 19-year-old Nathan Averi Higgins of Oxford as the suspect. Investigators learned that Fife and Higgins knew each other and had engaged in an argument just before the shooting occurred. Higgins was located in Lincoln, Alabama, where he was taken into custody and subsequently charged with murder. He was then booked into the Calhoun County Jail.
According to the suspect's mother, the incident was a case of self-defense that stemmed from a firearm transaction that went awry. She stated that Fife had arranged to purchase a semi-automatic handgun from Higgins on behalf of another individual. They met at Higgins' apartment to complete the sale. Fife allegedly asked to test fire the weapon to ensure it was functional, and Higgins handed it to him. It was at this point, the mother claims, that Fife announced he would not be paying for the gun. As Higgins reached to retrieve the firearm, Fife reportedly fired a shot. In response, Higgins, who was also in possession of a second handgun, fired back, striking Fife. The investigation into the death of Taevion Fife is ongoing.
