NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A 15-year-old boy is facing multiple charges, including homicide, in connection with a shooting at an “after-hours club” in South Nashville that left one young woman dead and two others injured earlier this month.
The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said the early morning shooting happened at a club in the 900 block of Murfreesboro Pike on Dec. 1. Witnesses told law enforcement there was a heated argument before shots were fired at a vehicle with five people inside, including 18-year-old Ashley Dominguez in the backseat.
The driver reportedly pulled into an office building parking lot in the 1300 block of Murfreesboro Pike after realizing Dominguez and two 19-year-olds had been injured. The three young women were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where Dominguez died, according to authorities. However, the other two teens were treated and released.
Officials said quick action by a Community Safety Center operator at MNPD Headquarters helped capture video footage of the shooting and allowed for Yariel Sandoval, 15, of Clarksville, to be developed as a suspect.
According to MNPD, coordination between its Homicide Unit detectives, TITANS Unit detectives, and Community Safety Center operators, as well as the Clarksville Police Department, led to Sandoval’s arrest on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Authorities said Sandoval was taken into custody in Clarksville on his outstanding warrants for criminal homicide, among other charges. However, the investigation is still ongoing with regard to other people potentially involved.
No additional details have been released about this case.
This news comes just days after Dominguez’s family held a candlelight vigil to honor her, as well as support the families of the hundreds of other gun violence victims in Nashville over the last decade, at the Historic Metro Courthouse.
“One of the things that Ashley’s mom wanted was that she wanted to get Ashley’s story out so people know that Ashley’s a real person, that they are real people, that this tragedy not only cut her daughter’s life short and took a daughter from her but has sent ripples throughout her family and her community,” said Melissa Alvarez-Zabriskie, founder of the Tennessee Hispanic Action Network. “She doesn’t want this to happen to other kids. Today it could be her daughter, but tomorrow, it can very easily be someone else’s.”
Dominguez was one of seven siblings. Her hobbies included singing, dancing, and spending time with her loved ones. She graduated high school in May and planned to travel the world, according to an obituary on the Simple Cremation and Funeral Services website.
“We went from doing college arrangements with her and then funeral arrangements in a heartbeat,” Dominguez’s oldest sister, Maira Fargoso, said.
If you’d like to help the Dominguez family financially, you can donate on their GoFundMe page.
