Kanye Smith, a 21-year-old from Newport News, Virginia, is charged with second-degree murder, discharging a firearm in an occupied building, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony after 19-year-old Nevaeh Harris was fatally shot inside an apartment on November 11, 2025. Newport News police classified the killing as a domestic homicide, and court records show Smith had been arrested for domestic assault against Harris roughly seven months earlier.
What Happened at Brennan Pointe Apartments
Officers were called to the Brennan Pointe Apartments in the 3100 block of Warwick Boulevard at about 1:35 a.m. on November 11, 2025.1WAVY. NNPD: Woman Dies Following Overnight Shooting on Warwick Blvd They found Nevaeh Harris inside a residence with a gunshot wound. Fire department medics pronounced her dead at the scene.213News Now. Court Documents Reveal Timeline in Warwick Boulevard Shooting
According to court documents, Harris and Smith had been arguing inside the apartment of Smith’s mother. Harris was trying to leave with her two young sons when the confrontation turned fatal.213News Now. Court Documents Reveal Timeline in Warwick Boulevard Shooting
Smith’s Account and What Detectives Say
Smith voluntarily walked into Newport News Police Headquarters on November 13, two days after the shooting, and gave a statement. He told detectives Harris had been threatening him with a knife and had grabbed a gun, and that he was trying to disarm her when he “accidently shot her” with his finger on the trigger.213News Now. Court Documents Reveal Timeline in Warwick Boulevard Shooting
Smith’s mother told detectives a different version. She said Harris “charged at her son with a knife” as she tried to leave, that she heard a gunshot, saw Harris collapse, and watched Smith flee with a gun.213News Now. Court Documents Reveal Timeline in Warwick Boulevard Shooting
Detectives wrote that Smith’s explanation was “inconsistent based on Harris’s wounds.” As of the latest reporting, investigators had not recovered the firearm.213News Now. Court Documents Reveal Timeline in Warwick Boulevard Shooting
A Prior Domestic Assault Arrest
Court records show Smith was arrested for domestic assault against Harris in April 2025, about seven months before her death.213News Now. Court Documents Reveal Timeline in Warwick Boulevard Shooting The specific charges from that earlier arrest, whether a protective order was issued, and how the case was resolved have not been publicly reported.
The Charges Smith Faces
Smith was booked into the Newport News City Jail on November 13, 2025.3The Virginian-Pilot. Domestic Shooting Arrest He is charged with:
- Second-degree murder, which under Virginia law carries a sentence of five to forty years in a state correctional facility.4Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia, Title 18.2, Chapter 4, Article 1
- Discharging a firearm in an occupied building. Virginia Code § 18.2-279 makes the malicious discharge of a firearm inside an occupied dwelling a Class 4 felony, and provides that if the act causes death it constitutes second-degree murder under the same statute.5Virginia Code Commission. Code of Virginia § 18.2-279
- Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.6WTKR. Man Accused of Murdering Woman Who Was Found Shot to Death in Newport News Home
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew credited the “swift arrest” to officers and detectives and said “citizen assistance and use of technology were also key factors” in the investigation.6WTKR. Man Accused of Murdering Woman Who Was Found Shot to Death in Newport News Home A preliminary hearing was scheduled for January 29, 2026.213News Now. Court Documents Reveal Timeline in Warwick Boulevard Shooting
Who Nevaeh Harris Was
Nevaeh Harris was born on May 19, 2006, and was 19 years old when she died. She was the daughter of Karmen Harris Brown and Kevin Battle Jr., and the mother of two sons.7C.C. Carter Funeral Home. Obituary: Ms. Neveah Harris Her family asked that the community keep them in their thoughts and prayers.