NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center witnessed an emotional afternoon as the family of 13-year-old Aayden Hayes sought justice for his tragic death.
Aayden was shot in a Bellevue Park incident in May, which also left his sister, Anraya Hayes, seriously injured. The suspect in this case is a 15-year-old boy.
Hope Leach, the mother of Aayden, expressed her anguish over the tragic event and the investigation.
"The only thing I really, really hoped for was that they did their investigating and gotten down to the bottom of... to know there was an adult that transported these kids to the park with a loaded firearm. That’s honestly what I was hoping for," Leach said.
The courtroom became tense on Thursday when the family of Aayden encountered the girlfriend of the 15-year-old suspect, as well as the adult allegedly responsible for driving the suspect to the park. The situation escalated, leading to an exchange of words, and Leach and her family were asked to leave until the atmosphere calmed.
Leach said she is particularly upset because she believed the altercation that led to the shooting involved the girlfriend and other girls fighting in Red Caboose Park on May 29.
Detective testimony revealed that the incident began when De’Anthony Osasosifo defended his girlfriend during a fight between two teenagers. According to police, the suspect admitted to pulling out a gun and starting to shoot but claimed he did not think he had hit anyone.
The bullets struck Aayden and his 15-year-old sister, Anraya.
Reflecting on the traumatic event, Anraya said it's been difficult.
"I got through like different emotions every day about a cause like it's hard not to think about it when it was like happened to you, so I just think about it like every day that I wake up and I try not to cry."
The Hayes family is determined to see justice served.
"It’ll be really important because we go through a lot. And for us not to get justice, it would be very hard. And I feel I wouldn't need justice for him because it wasn't fair. What happened? It just was not fair," said Anraya Hayes.
The next steps in this case involve the court setting a date for another hearing to determine whether the 15-year-old suspect will be transferred to adult court.
The family said they are still in need of financial help to get them to get back on their feet after the shooting.
They have set up a GoFundMe.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at kelsey.gibbs@newschannel5.com.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
