4-year-old girl dead, mother and 3 other children struck in 'heinous' Madison shooting

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13 hours ago

An overnight shooting on a Madison neighborhood street left a young girl dead, two children in critical condition, another child and their mother hospitalized, and the suspect in jail on a multimillion-dollar bond.
Jovien Smith, a 26-year-old man from Davenport, Iowa, is charged with criminal homicide and five counts of attempted criminal homicide for what the Metro Nashville Police Department called a 'heinous shooting.'
The identities of the victims have not yet been released.
Police said the shooting occurred on Westchester Drive the night of June 14. The woman, 41 years old, was driving Smith and her five children in a Dodge minivan to a family member's home they were in Nashville visiting this weekend.
Smith and the woman got in an argument. During the dispute, Smith threw the woman's phone out the window and attempted to grab the steering wheel of the minivan to cause a crash, according to police. The woman pulled the car over, police said.
Smith then took out a pistol and shot at her, police said.
The woman, struck multiple times, ran down the street to nearby homes asking for help. Smith, still in the car, turned toward the five children and began firing, police said. Four of the children were shot and were struck multiple times, according to police.
Still armed, Smith began chasing after the woman, police said.
MNPD received a call for help at 9:59 p.m., according to the department's active dispatch log. Officers arrived and apprehended Smith.
All five children were transported to Vanderbilt Pediatrics. The woman's 4-year-old daughter died. Two children, ages 7 and 1, are in critical condition. A 13-year-old is stable, police said in a post to social media.
The woman was taken to Skyline Medical Center where she is hospitalized with serious injuries.
No marked police vehicles were on the scene as of 9 a.m. June 15. The residential street of two-story homes was quiet.
Smith was booked into the Davidson County Downtown Detention Center at 4:11 a.m. and charged with criminal homicide, five counts of attempted criminal homicide, three counts of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated burglary. His bond is set at $2.6 million, according to police.
Smith has a court date scheduled for the afternoon of June 18.
Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Madison shooting: 1 child dead, others hospitalized, suspect jailed