Ashanti Jamia Taylor, 24, was killed on April 6, 2024, after a violent incident in Berkeley, St. Louis County, Missouri. She was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Vaughn Spivey when an argument between them escalated and Spivey allegedly produced a firearm and shot her in the chest.

Instead of stopping immediately at a nearby hospital, Spivey reportedly drove past the facility and went to his residence, where he then contacted emergency services. First responders found Taylor critically injured in the passenger seat; she was taken to a hospital and died shortly thereafter. Spivey remained at the scene, waived his Miranda rights and acknowledged firing the weapon while saying the shooting was accidental.

Prosecutors charged Vaughn Spivey with second-degree murder and armed criminal action; a judge set bond at $500,000 cash-only. Ashanti Taylor was memorialized by friends and family in the Spanish Lake area.

If anyone has information about that night or knew Ashanti, please come forward.