Parents identify 10-year-old boy who police say was killed in Franklin shooting
By Penny Kmitt , Web Staff
Click here for updates on this story
FRANKLIN, Virginia (WTKR) — Police are searching for Tashawnda Nicole Drayton after they said a shooting in Franklin left a child dead on Wednesday.
Since then, the child’s parents have identified their son to News 3 as the boy who was fatally shot.
Around 3 p.m., police responded to a call about a shooting at the 300 block of Artis Street, according to Franklin Police.
“I was sitting in my front room watching TV and I heard 4 or 5 shots, ‘bam, bam, bam, bam’, about 4 or 5 times,” said Betty, a resident of Artis Street who is friends with the 10-year-old’s grandmother. “It’s really sad, upsetting, sad.”
“Soon as I looked out the window, a bullet came flying in my room, so I dug down came outside to see what’s going on. Next thing I see is a little kid laying on the ground shot, killed. Another guy, he was wounded,” said Keion Liggins, a neighbor.
When police arrived at the scene, a 10-year-old boy and a 37-year-old man were suffering from life-threatening injuries after being shot.
“It appears a family member who was at the primary scene of the incident picked up the young man and carried him down to another family residence down the street,” said Franklin Chief of Police Steve Patterson.
Both victims were then transported to Bon Secours Southhampton Memorial Hospital, according to police. The man was then flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he was treated and released. The child died from his injuries in the hospital.
The following morning, News 3 spoke with parents who say their 10-year-old son, La’Marj Deshawn Holden, is the boy who was killed in the shooting.
Franklin City Public Schools released this statement about the death of one of their students: “Our hearts are deeply saddened by this tragic loss, and we ask everyone come together to support the bereaved family at this time.”
Four people arrived at the man’s house in a vehicle and an altercation broke out, according to police. Tashawnda Nicole Drayton, 24, was one of those involved in the altercation.
Police said that their investigation determined that Drayton shot both victims. A warrant has been issued for her arrest.
Drayton is a Black woman, about 5’11”, 250 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, according to a Franklin Police press release. She is wanted for first degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated malicious wounding, two counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, threat to burn or damage a building, possession of firearm by convicted felon and discharge a firearm in a public place. A woman of the same name has multiple criminal filings in Virginia and North Carolina between 2018 and 2022.
Police said that Drayton is believed to be armed and dangerous.
“She needs to be taken into custody as soon as possible,” said Chief Patterson. “At this point, we went with the U.S. Marshals, they have national jurisdiction, and while we don’t believe she’s gone national we do believe they have better ties to cities East of us.”
As police continue their investigation, the City of Franklin is encouraging the community to provide support to one another as they process the tragic incident. Mayor Cutchins released the following statement:
“On behalf of myself and the entire City of Franklin our hearts are broken. There are no words when our community is faced with such an unexplainable act of violence. In moments like this we need to come together as a community and show love and support for one another. During the days and weeks to come we will face additional challenges and during these times may all remember to show the best in humanity to one another.” Chief Patterson says The Franklin Police Department has canceled their weekly Keeping Up With Kids event out of respect for the family.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
