In the cold early hours of a January morning in Hammond, Indiana, a simmering dispute rooted in a love triangle tragically boiled over, claiming the life of 21-year-old Kadejah Jackson. The events that led to her death on January 27, 2017, began the evening before with a physical altercation at the River Oaks Mall in Calumet City. There, Jackson had fought with Kashena Lavette Hayes, a woman who was also romantically involved with Jackson's boyfriend, Lavell Holloway.
The conflict did
not end at the mall. Shortly after midnight, Hayes, accompanied by two other women and armed with a brick, appeared at Jackson's home in the 900 block of Becker Street. A tense confrontation ensued, drawing Jackson, her mother, and her sister outside. The situation escalated dramatically with the arrival of Holloway in a dark Nissan Altima. He emerged from the passenger side of the vehicle and, using the car's roof to steady his aim, fired between seven and nine shots in the direction of the women.
Two of the bullets struck Kadejah Jackson in the abdomen. She was rushed to St. Margaret Hospital and later transferred to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where she was pronounced dead at 3:55 a.m. Her death was officially ruled a homicide. Hammond Police responded to the scene and quickly identified Lavell Holloway as the shooter based on witness accounts from Jackson's family.
In the aftermath of the shooting, both Lavell Holloway, 24, and Kashena Lavette Hayes, 23, were charged with murder. Holloway was apprehended shortly after the incident, and the handgun used in the shooting was discovered hidden in his vehicle. Ballistic analysis confirmed that the shell casings found at the scene matched the recovered weapon. The case proceeded to the Superior Court of Lake County, where a jury found Lavell Holloway guilty of murder following a five-day trial that began in August 2020. During the trial, Jackson's mother and sister provided emotional testimony, identifying Holloway as the man who shot Kadejah. Holloway later appealed his conviction, but it was affirmed by the Court of Appeals of Indiana in June 2021.
