In the early morning hours of September 23, 2023, the life of 26-year-old Kelvin 'KJ' Stowers Jr., a Black male, was tragically cut short on a street in South Nashville. Stowers was found fatally shot in the 3900 block of Keeley Drive around 5:20 a.m. The investigation revealed a harrowing sequence of events, indicating that he had been shot while inside a Nissan Rogue SUV.
Following the shooting, his body was pushed out of the vehicle and left on the roadway as the driver sped off.
The young father, who was lovingly remembered by his family as a respectful and humble man, was just beginning to embrace his new role with his infant son. His father, Kelvin Stowers Sr., described him as a talented athlete who excelled in multiple sports and was never involved in street life. The brutal nature of his death left his family heartbroken and searching for answers.
The investigation into the murder of Kelvin Stowers Jr. moved swiftly, thanks in part to tips received through Crime Stoppers. Detectives with the Metro Nashville Police Department identified 28-year-old David Samuel Henry of Murfreesboro as the primary suspect. An alert was issued for Henry's Nissan Rogue, the same vehicle in which Stowers was allegedly shot.
A break in the case came when a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper spotted the suspect's vehicle in Jefferson County, located in East Tennessee. The trooper conducted a traffic stop and took David Henry into custody without incident. An arrest warrant was sworn out, charging Henry with criminal homicide. He was slated to be returned to Nashville to face the charges stemming from the death of Kelvin Stowers Jr. While the arrest brought a measure of solace to the grieving family, they acknowledged it could never fill the void left by their loss.
