In the early morning hours of July 8, 2018, the life of 21-year-old Kionte M. Bullard, a Black / African American male, was tragically cut short in a drive-by shooting in Spokane, Washington. The incident unfolded around 2:30 a.m. in the 3000 block of North Nelson Street as Bullard was placing his one-month-old infant into a car seat. Earlier that evening, Bullard had been at Lucky's Tavern downtown where an argument had taken place.
Witnesses reported that Isiah Cavitt, then 20 years old, had been trying to fight Bullard's cousin and had implied he was armed. Following the altercation, Bullard and a friend left to pick up his girlfriend and their baby from a duplex at the corner of Euclid Avenue and Nelson Street.
After making a couple of trips to the car, Bullard returned with his baby. It was at this vulnerable moment that a white SUV, later identified as a Hyundai Santa Fe, drove by with its headlights off and multiple gunshots were fired. Bullard was struck and killed at the scene. His infant was unharmed. His girlfriend, who was inside at the time, initially mistook the gunshots for fireworks before discovering Bullard on the ground.
The subsequent investigation by the Spokane Police Department's Major Crimes Unit led them to several suspects. Isiah J. Cavitt was identified as a primary suspect. Investigators learned that Cavitt had previously dated Bullard's girlfriend, which is how he knew her address. Another suspect, 17-year-old Christen D. Ativalu-Ford, was linked to the crime through fingerprints found inside the suspect vehicle. The driver of the SUV was identified as 18-year-old Ashleigh Prado. A fourth individual, William V. Garrett, was also identified as being in the vehicle through fingerprints.
In the months that followed, arrests were made and the individuals involved faced the justice system. Isiah Cavitt pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and in September 2019, was sentenced to 190 months, nearly 16 years, in prison. Christen Ativalu-Ford, who was charged as an adult, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in February 2020 and was recommended a sentence of 123 months. Ashleigh Prado was also charged with first-degree murder. The investigation revealed that both Cavitt and Ativalu-Ford had fired weapons during the drive-by shooting. Prado told investigators that after the initial altercation downtown, Cavitt had asked her to drive him and his friends to Bullard's girlfriend's home. She claimed that as they drove by, Cavitt demanded she lean forward before he and Ativalu-Ford began shooting.
