Jonathan Xavier Hatcher, an 18-year-old Black/African American male, was killed in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 17, 2018. According to information provided by a close family member, his mother, Jonathan did not live at the house where the shooting happened. He had gone outside with his friend, who was the intended target, so they could have a smoke when gunfire erupted.
What should have been an ordinary moment between friends became the moment Jonathan’s life was taken.
He was not the person the shooter was allegedly after, but he was the one who did not survive. Publicly available information connected to the case indicates that another teen was seriously injured in the shooting and that police were seeking a suspect afterward, but available online reporting does not clearly identify a named suspect, motive, arrest, charges, trial, or conviction tied to Jonathan’s killing.
Jonathan’s family remembered him as the youngest of five children and the only boy after four older sisters. Known by the nickname “Styles,” he was described by loved ones as funny, emotional, sweet, challenging, full of personality, and deeply loved. He was remembered as someone who brought laughter into the lives of the people around him, made videos singing with his sisters, took selfies with his mother, and carried a bright, memorable presence that stayed with everyone who knew him.
His death left behind his mother, sisters, nieces, nephews, grandmother, girlfriend, extended family, and friends, all forced to carry the pain of losing him so young. Jonathan’s story is not just the story of a shooting in Phoenix; it is the story of a teenager who stepped outside with a friend and was caught in violence meant for someone else. Publicly available records and reports provide only limited answers about what happened afterward, but the loss of Jonathan remains deeply personal to the people who loved him.
