Alayna June Butts was two years old when she was struck by a bullet during a shooting at a residence on Hawkins Road in Sweetwater, Tennessee, on February 14, 2023. She was taken to a Knoxville hospital and died of her injuries on February 17, 2023.

One of the men, Lenning Huerta, was found dead at the scene with a gunshot wound to the head and was believed to have fired the shot that struck Alayna. Five men were later charged in connection with the events: Nathaniel Kain McEwan, Francisco Lagunas Jr., Liu Huerta, Itzhui Huerta, and Malachi Franklin, facing counts that included first-degree murder, felony murder, and attempted murder.

In February 2025 a Monroe County grand jury indicted Alayna’s mother, Sophia Sloan, on first-degree murder and aggravated child neglect, bringing six people to be charged in the case; Sloan is scheduled for trial in January 2026. If anyone knew Alayna, the household, or events on Hawkins Road that night, please share what is remembered.