Key Takeaways
- Avanya Moore-Harris, 16, was shot and killed in a breezeway at the Preserve at Highland Ridge Apartments on Dickerson Pike in Nashville, TN, on Tuesday evening, September 22. He lived at the complex.
- Police say he was walking toward his apartment when he was struck multiple times. No one else at the complex was injured.
- Families who lose a loved one in an apartment shooting may have legal options if inadequate security or a failure to take reasonable precautions against a foreseeable risk of violence contributed to the incident.
16-Year-Old Resident Shot and Killed in Breezeway of Nashville Apartment Complex
Metro Nashville Police officers and paramedics responded to a shooting call at 7:12 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, and found Avanya Moore-Harris, 16, on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds in a breezeway of the Preserve at Highland Ridge Apartments on Dickerson Pike, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. He was transported to Skyline Medical Center, where he died shortly after arrival.
Moore-Harris lived at the apartment complex, according to FOX 17, which sits in the 3400 block of Dickerson Pike, WSMV reported. The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department reported that no one else at the complex was hurt and that the motive behind the shooting remains under investigation.
Police say the teenager was walking through the breezeway trying to reach his apartment when he was met with a barrage of gunfire that struck him several times, according to WSMV. The station reported that bullet holes still scar the exterior walls of the building.
His father, Milton Harris Jr., said his son was ambushed in the breezeway outside his home, according to NewsChannel 5. Neighbors have been bringing the family food and flowers, WSMV reported, and residents who have lived at the complex for years told the station they had never seen this type of violence so close to their homes.
Harris also told WSMV that Moore-Harris’s mother had decided the family needed to move because of concerns for their safety and had been trying to get out of their lease. According to Harris, the family was only seven days away from moving when Moore-Harris was killed. Harris said he believed his son had been specifically targeted, although police have not announced a motive.
Homicide and Specialized Investigations detectives are working active leads in the case, and anyone with information is asked to contact Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463, where callers can remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
Police were still searching for a suspect in the days after the shooting, WSMV reported, and no arrest has been announced. WKRN reported that Moore-Harris was the third 16-year-old shot in Nashville over a one-month span.
What This Shooting Means for Negligent Security Claims
A breezeway serving multiple apartments is generally a common area rather than part of an individual tenant’s private living space. Under Tennessee law, landlords may have a duty to take reasonable precautions to protect tenants from foreseeable criminal acts by third parties.
Whether that duty required particular security measures depends on the circumstances. Tennessee courts consider whether the risk of criminal harm was reasonably foreseeable and balance the foreseeability and seriousness of that harm against the burden of taking precautions. Prior crimes can be important evidence, but foreseeability is not limited to whether an identical or nearly identical crime previously occurred at the property.
Determining whether a risk was foreseeable often requires looking beyond initial news reports. A civil investigation may examine police calls for service and incident reports associated with the property, complaints or safety concerns reported by tenants, communications with management, security contracts, surveillance-camera policies, access-control measures, and maintenance records involving lighting, gates, and other common areas.
Key Factors in Evaluating a Potential Claim
Details that typically matter in evaluating whether an apartment complex met its duty to protect residents and their guests include:
- Whether the breezeways, walkways, and building entrances were adequately lit and whether that lighting was maintained and working
- Whether cameras covered breezeways, entrances, and parking areas, whether they were recording, and whether anyone was monitoring them
- Whether access to the property and to individual buildings was controlled through gates, fencing, or secured entries
- Whether prior shootings, assaults, weapons complaints, police calls, or other incidents at or near the property put management on notice of a potential risk
- Whether the complex employed security personnel or courtesy patrols, and during which evening hours
- How management documented and responded to resident complaints about safety conditions on the property
When a 16-year-old is killed walking through a shared passage on his way to his own front door, whether the property took reasonable steps to address foreseeable safety risks is an important question that may require a closer look at the property’s history, policies, and records.
Were You or a Family Member Injured in the Nashville Apartment Shooting or a Similar Incident?
Families who lose a loved one in an apartment shooting may have legal options if inadequate security or a failure to take reasonable precautions against a foreseeable risk of violence contributed to the incident.
At Andreozzi + Foote, we represent victims and families in negligent security cases involving apartment complexes, residential properties, and other locations. A civil investigation can help determine what the property owner or manager knew about safety risks, what security measures were in place, and whether additional precautions could have prevented or reduced the risk of harm.
Depending on the circumstances, families may be able to seek compensation for losses including medical and funeral expenses, lost income, and other damages associated with a preventable injury or death.
All consultations are free and confidential.
Image source: Preserve at Highland Ridge, Google, © Google Maps.
