On Friday, September 17, soul singer Latoya Acree was found fatally shot outside her home in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, after she and her son Elijah D. Smith argued. Smith allegedly shot his mother.
According to the sheriff’s office, Acree was located by authorities in the driveway of her home on Pondoley Drive. Once they arrived, officers found Acree in the driveway wounded by a gunshot to her upper body, and though the paramedics attempted CPR, she did not survive.
The singer was part of the “True Soul” band which hosts shows in the Washington D.C. area and more.
“She was really, really happy,” her bandmate Caesar Roy told NBC Washington. “Seemed like things were just turning around for her, and this happened.”
Smith was soon after located and identified as the primary suspect after being found at a hotel near the scene. He was taken into custody and charged with second-degree murder in connection with his mother’s death.
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The sheriff’s office said that a preliminary investigation revealed: “there was a domestic argument that occurred before the shooting between the mother and son.”
Roy said he saw his bandmate hours before she died and was shocked at the tragic news.
“Obviously, God had a better plan, a bigger plan, for her to sing in,” he said.
Smith was later held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond, but he has since been released and is awaiting trial on an assault and battery charge.
True Soul was preparing for a show at the time to raise awareness about domestic violence but will now dedicate its performance to Acree.
