In the winter of 2017, the life of 13-year-old Tyshawn Taylor was cut tragically short in Mishawaka, Indiana. On the evening of December 26th, police were called to the Hickory Village apartment complex where they found the young male suffering from a gunshot wound. Tyshawn was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later confirmed that he died from a gunshot wound and his death was ruled a homicide.
Initial investigations revealed a complex and somber story.
Tyshawn was reportedly at the apartment to buy marijuana or cigarellos. While he was inside, an accomplice, later identified as TreMare Lashawn Hill, then 20, allegedly kicked in the door and pointed a handgun at the residents in an attempted robbery. One of the occupants of the apartment responded by firing a. 22-caliber rifle, striking the armed intruder.
The investigation uncovered that Tyshawn and Hill were allegedly accomplices in the robbery attempt. Evidence found on Tyshawn's social media and phone included a picture of the witnesses from inside the apartment with a note indicating he had 'found someone to rob.' About an hour before the fatal incident, a message from an account named 'Tre Gang,' identified as Hill, was sent to Tyshawn stating, 'Let's rob dude again.' After being shot, Hill and another individual who had been waiting in the hallway fled the scene, leaving a trail of blood.
For more than two years, the case remained under investigation. Investigators were able to match DNA from the blood trail to Hill. In May 2020, TreMare Lashawn Hill was arrested and charged with murder and attempted robbery. In a turn of events, in October of 2021, Hill pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury as part of a plea agreement.
