John Love Louima, a 25-year-old Black man from Haiti, was living with family in Amarillo, Texas, on a work visa when his life was cut short. In the early hours of Sunday, January 26, 2025, he was among a large crowd on the sidewalk in the 700 block of South Polk Street after local nightclubs had closed for the night. Investigators believe an altercation that began inside one of the bars had spilled outside. Shortly after 2 a.m., a vehicle returned to the scene, and a man exited with a rifle, firing approximately 15 rounds into the crowd before getting back in the car and fleeing.
Nine people were struck by gunfire. Emergency responders provided life-saving aid at the scene, and the wounded were transported to local hospitals by ambulance and private vehicles. John Louima died at the hospital from multiple gunshot injuries. The other eight victims were expected to survive.
The Amarillo Police Chief later described the motive for the shooting as "hate-fueled anger."
As the suspect vehicle sped away, a witness who saw the attack followed it and relayed its location to 911 dispatchers. Thanks to the witness’s information, Randall County Sheriff’s deputies were able to locate and stop the car near Hillside and Bell streets. Three people inside were taken into custody for questioning.
Authorities identified the alleged shooter as 23-year-old Robert Kenney Knox and the driver as 21-year-old Nahryah Hilesta Ines Hayes. A passenger in the back seat, 22-year-old Britt Brinson Cave, was also arrested. Knox and Hayes were initially charged with one count of murder and eight counts of deadly conduct. Cave was charged with public intoxication.
Subsequently, the Potter County District Attorney’s Office upgraded the charges against Knox and Hayes. In addition to the murder charge, they each now face eight counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon/mass shooting. Knox remains incarcerated and, for safety and security reasons, was transferred from the Potter County Jail to the Lubbock County Jail. In July 2025, a judge reduced Hayes’s bond to $120,000. She was released under strict mandatory conditions, including GPS monitoring, a curfew, and having no contact with her co-defendants or the victim’s family.
The investigation is ongoing, and the Amarillo Police Department’s Homicide Unit has asked anyone with information to contact them at 806-378-9468. As of December 2025, the cases against Knox and Hayes were pending, and no trial dates had been set.
