Seventeen-year-old Nashibo Taylor was shot and killed in a hotel hallway during a graduation party at the DoubleTree by Hilton on Greenway Plaza in Houston on June 5, 2021. The shooting occurred about 5:45 a.m.; officers and paramedics responded quickly but Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police identified 18-year-old Omari Sykes as the suspect and charged him with murder. Investigators say Sykes and Taylor had a brief physical confrontation in the hallway before Sykes produced a .40 semi-automatic pistol and shot Taylor. Witnesses described the altercation as lasting only a few seconds. Sykes fled but was arrested on June 7, 2021; he had been out on bond for an earlier evading arrest charge at the time of the shooting.

Taylor’s family and the community have called for justice and expressed frustration about Sykes being free on bond before the killing. Anyone who was at the DoubleTree graduation party or who has information about the incident is asked to come forward.