On Christmas morning, a day meant for celebration and togetherness, 18-year-old Hispanic female Nayah Vasquez's life was tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire on a Milwaukee street. The shooting occurred around 11:25 a.m. in the Silver City neighborhood, near the intersection of S. 37th Street and National Avenue. Nayah was a passenger in a vehicle with 15-year-old Exziel Rivera when an unknown assailant opened fire into their car.
The car continued moving after the shooting, striking a parked vehicle before finally crashing into a tree. Exziel was pronounced dead at the scene, while Nayah succumbed to her injuries later at a local hospital.
Family and friends remember Nayah as a "beautiful soul" who had a love for music, her friends, and the outdoors. Her mother shared that just before she left the house that day, Nayah had shown her the new outfit she received for Christmas. She had dreams of one day having a family and children of her own and was considering a career as a veterinarian. Loved ones gathered for a candlelight vigil to honor her memory, describing her as sweet, beautiful, and outgoing. They believe she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught up with the wrong crowd.
The investigation into the double homicide led to the arrests of two men, 18-year-old Quintarez Morris and 21-year-old Jeremiah Taylor. According to the criminal complaint, the victims had arranged to purchase marijuana and were waiting in their car as instructed. A black Malibu, driven by Morris, approached their vehicle. Taylor then leaned out of the passenger side and began shooting into the teens' car. Surveillance video captured the incident, and the Malibu was later found burned in a park.
Quintarez Morris was initially charged with harboring or aiding a felon, but his charges were later upgraded to two counts of first-degree reckless homicide as a party to a crime. He pleaded guilty to harboring or aiding a felon and was sentenced to five years in prison. During his sentencing, he apologized for his involvement, stating he was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. Jeremiah Taylor, the alleged shooter, was also charged with two counts of first-degree reckless homicide. As of the latest reports, he remains at large, and authorities are seeking information on his whereabouts. The families of both Nayah and Exziel are left to grapple with their profound loss, their holiday season forever marred by the violence that claimed the lives of the two teenagers.
