On September 14, 2024, 8-year-old Phillipe Woodard died after an apparent accidental shooting inside his grandmother’s home on North 2nd Street in Nashville. Phillipe was taken to Vanderbilt Pediatrics and later succumbed to his injuries. He was a second-grade student at Schwab Elementary School and had recently been accepted into the gifted program; teachers remembered him for his big smile and eagerness to learn.

At the time of the shooting Phillipe was reportedly left at the house with his 10-year-old brother and a 16-year-old family friend, without adult supervision. Investigators say Phillipe began playing with a loaded shotgun that was in the home; the 16-year-old said he awoke to the sound of a gunshot, discovered what had happened, and ran to a neighbor for help. Phillipe’s grandmother, 48-year-old Gracie Patton Mimms, was arrested and charged with criminal homicide and aggravated child neglect after authorities alleged she left the children unsupervised while a loaded shotgun was accessible. The case will be staffed with the District Attorney’s Office when the investigation is complete.

Did anyone in Nashville know Phillipe or have information about the conditions in that home?