On October 23, 2025, 27-year-old Nauosha Chavis, also known as Naja Johnson, was shot and killed in East Knoxville, Tennessee. Chavis, a mother and an aspiring nail salon owner, had gone with her husband to an apartment on Washington Avenue to settle a debt with a man identified as 43-year-old Bobby Wright Jr. A dispute escalated into a physical altercation outside the building. Wright reportedly approached Chavis’s husband while holding two handguns, struck the husband in the face with one of the firearms, and that gun discharged. The single bullet struck Chavis in the head. She was taken to UT Medical Center and died shortly after arrival.

Police later located Wright, who fled the scene in a red truck, and took him into custody after a brief chase. He has been charged with reckless homicide, aggravated assault, and being a convicted felon in possession of a weapon. Family and friends remember Chavis as funny, loving, and family-oriented, a devoted mother to her two-year-old son, and say they want to honor her memory and speak out against gun violence.

If anyone knew Nauosha, her family, or witnessed the October 23 incident on Washington Avenue, please share what you know.