In the late hours of a Wednesday evening in Muncie, Indiana, the life of 15-year-old Latajohne Phillips was tragically cut short. On August 14, 2024, the young male was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds at the Creekside Apartments, also known as the Latitude Apartments, on the city's northeast side. Emergency services transported him to a hospital, but he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Phillips, a freshman football player at Muncie Central High School, was known to his loved ones as 'Tay'. He had moved to Muncie to live with family following the passing of his mother.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led Muncie police to a group of individuals. Surveillance footage and witness accounts detailed six people fleeing the scene of the crime and entering a nearby apartment in the Elgin Manor complex. Inside that apartment, which belonged to 19-year-old Daisha Eckford, authorities discovered multiple firearms, ammunition, and clothing that matched what the suspects were seen wearing. Eckford informed investigators that the group had set out to 'make a play' before she heard the sound of gunshots.
In the wake of Phillips's death, six individuals were arrested. Formal charges were filed against several teenagers and young adults by the Delaware County Prosecutor's Office. The suspects included 16-year-old K-shaun English, 17-year-old Robert Graham, 19-year-old Daisha Eckford, and 19-year-old Ricky Nathan. A 14-year-old was also taken into custody, and a sixth person, 21-year-old Atravian Nathan, was later arrested.
The charges brought against the group were serious and varied. Robert Graham was charged with murder, with an added firearm enhancement for allegedly using a gun during a robbery, along with robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, conspiracy to commit robbery, and obstruction of justice. K-shaun English faced charges of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, conspiracy to commit robbery, and obstruction of justice. Daisha Eckford was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, while Atravian Nathan was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. Atravian Nathan reportedly told police that the group had gone to the apartment complex to trade guns and that he fled when he heard shots fired. The community and Phillips's family were left to mourn the loss of a young life to gun violence.
