Vaniya Bennett

Vaniya Bennett was a 14-year-old Black girl from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, whose life was cut short by gunfire. Her mother, Vanessa Washington, was left heartbroken by the loss. "I'm just angry, heartbroken. I can't even hug on my baby," she said. "I have to hug on my baby in a casket." Washington described her daughter as an innocent bystander who did not deserve to die, a sentiment that echoed through a community shaken by the sudden violence.

The shooting happened on the evening of July 16, 2023, at a home located at 2303 West 17th Avenue, near the campus of Southeast Arkansas College. According to witnesses, it was a drive-by shooting in which a vehicle passed the residence while a passenger fired shots from a window. Vaniya was inside the home when she was struck and killed. In the front yard, 17-year-old Zamarion Moten was also shot to death. A third victim, 18-year-old Kaden McKay, was found wounded in a bedroom but later recovered from his injuries.

In the aftermath, the Pine Bluff Police Department launched a double homicide investigation. Detectives soon identified three young men as suspects in the deadly shooting. The attack was part of a spate of violence that left the city on edge, with local officials and law enforcement addressing the community's fears.

Authorities ultimately charged three suspects in connection with the deaths of Vaniya Bennett and Zamarion Moten. Trenton Xavion Rogers, 19, and Jayvion Marquet Williams, 19, were charged with two counts of capital murder, one count of battery in the first degree, one count of a terroristic act, and one count of unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle. A third suspect, 18-year-old Dillen Finch, was also charged with the murders. Following the arrests, the case entered the court system as of July 2023.