NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Dasia Barber says she was giving her children a normal night at home — a Walmart trip, dinner, kids getting ready for bed — when gunfire tore through the walls of her East Nashville house on Aug. 10.
Her 7-year-old daughter was shot in the
Barber says she watched bullets rip through the walls as she rushed to save her children. She threw her special needs son into the hallway for cover, then found her oldest daughter frozen beside the bed. She tackled her into the hallway, too. Then she reached for her youngest child, who was sleeping in the bed.
"I can see the, like, the wall, the holes coming to the wall as I'm grabbing them and trying to get up out of that room," Barber said.
She described the gunfire as relentless.
"It went for a long time; it wasn't just ( shooting noise... ) and then, skirt, it wasn't that. It was shot...felt like it was never-ending…" Barber said.
When she reached her youngest daughter, it was already too late to shield her from the gunfire.
"When that bullet hit her is when she really went crazy, and she just starts screaming my name, and it was blood everywhere," Barber said.
Her 7-year-old daughter — the same child who was struck by a truck years earlier — was shot in the leg. Baker says dozens of bullets ripped through the house. Her daughter is recovering, but the fear inside the home has not faded.
Then came a question Barber says no mother should ever have to hear.
"She said, 'Mama, I do not want to go back because what if the next time we go back one of us don't make it out.' And I told her, I said if you don't want to go back, you don't have to go back," Barber said.
Metro Police say the neighboring home was the target. Records show that same house was connected to another shooting in March 2025, when a woman was shot in the chest.
Barber says she knows the people next door are involved and is begging them to cooperate with police.
"Them boys is, they're terrorizing the city," Barber said.
She says she refuses to let her children grow up in fear and is asking for help relocating her family — something she says she never imagined having to do.
"I just, my main thing is to make sure my kids don't be scarred for the rest of their life. Like, I'm doing everything in my power. I'm trying, and I just wish somebody could see me trying and try to help me in some type of way," Barber said.
Barber says the wounds may heal, but she fears the emotional scars could last forever.
Barber has set up a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of moving her family somewhere safe, as well as mental health services.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Nashville Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and qualify for a cash reward.
This story was reported on-air by journalist Kelsey Gibbs and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Kelsey Gibbs brings us a powerful story of humanity, compassion, and love in action while showing us the hard and lifesaving work our officers do daily. Nashville is lucky to have people like Lt. Hotz wearing the badge.
- Carrie Sharp
