Teenager Taylor Hamilton, 16, Fatally Shot Weeks After Her Boyfriend’s Death

"Thanksgiving will never be the same," a bereaved mother said.

In the quiet stretch between Thanksgiving dinner plans and the start of the holiday season, Taylor Hamilton, a 16-year-old who had just celebrated her birthday three weeks earlier, was fatally shot while waiting for an Uber outside a home in Ellenwood, Georgia.

According to 11Alive reporting, Taylor had been convinced by a friend — the only person her mother believed she knew there — to attend a Thanksgiving gathering on Wentworth Drive. Moments before her ride arrived, a confrontation from inside the house spilled out onto the street.

A Doorbell Camera Captures Her Final Moments

According to Nandi Hamilton, Taylor's mother, the homeowner's doorbell camera recorded her daughter's final moments — a video she described as "senseless" and "heartbreaking." That footage, showing the instant her daughter died, has since circulated across social media.

In a widely shared Facebook post detailing the shooting, Ebonie Baxter wrote, " He blew her away on a Doorbell Camera — and now people are sharing it like it's entertainment."

The post mourned yet "Another Black girl whose name will trend for a moment, and be buried forever. Say her name like it's your own child: Taylor Hamilton, Forever 16."

What Happened Outside the House

According to Ebonie's post, Taylor stepped outside the Wentworth Drive home and waited on the porch as her Uber approached. A group followed her out. A confrontation escalated. Ebonie's post further revealed that:

"One of them — a 15-year-old boy — pulled a gun. Taylor said, 'I don't care about no gun.' She stood her ground. And he EXECUTED her ~ point blank AND on camera. Like she was nothing. She dropped where she stood."

"They were like, 'Taylor has been…shot.' I went to the hospital and... I was praying, praying, praying, 'God, please let Taylor be OK,'" Nandi told FOX 5. But Taylor died at the hospital shortly after. "It's very, very sad for me," the bereaved mother added.

Her grief spilled out in a heartbreaking line that now anchors the family's new reality:

"Planning a funeral instead of Christmas. Thanksgiving will never be the same."

For Nandi, the loss is unbearable. "I'm not doing too well," Nandi said in an interview with FOX 5 Atlanta (source). "I'm holding up and just taking everything one day at a time."

Clayton County Police later charged 16-year-old Adonis Alkarim with murder in connection with the shooting, noting he will be charged as an adult. "It was absolutely senseless," Nandi said. She added that she believes more people should be held accountable.

The Grief She Was Already Carrying

Taylor had been navigating heavy grief long before the shooting. On September 1, her boyfriend, Dequavious Royalston, also 16, was killed after being mistaken for a burglar in his own home.

According to 11Alive's report on his death, investigators said he was entering through the back door when a resident — believed to be his mother's boyfriend — opened fire. Nandi said teens had mocked Taylor about losing him, fueling tensions at the Thanksgiving gathering.

Taylor – A Life Brimming With Promise

Taylor wasn't just a name in another holiday-weekend headline. She was a sophomore at Booker T. Washington High School, an honor-roll student, and a JROTC cadet.

She was a girl who dreamed of becoming a veterinarian because she "was always caring and wanted to take care" of others, her mother said.

"She was a good girl," Nandi added. "She was like the big sister of her friends. She took care of everybody. She made A's, her teachers love her, her principal loves her."

The Family's Plea and the Legacy She Leaves Behind

Now, a GoFundMe campaign organized by Nandi has been set up to help with funeral costs. The page described Taylor as a "bright and loving 16-year-old" whose "energy, sense of humor, and kindness touched everyone who knew her."

Her grandmother, Hloniphile Nyide, a Spelman College alumna with longstanding ties to Atlanta, is mourning from South Africa — 8,000 miles away — unable to travel because of restrictions. Meanwhile, Nandi now faces the devastating task of planning a burial for her only daughter.

The fundraiser will cover burial service costs, mausoleum housing, transportation, clothing, makeup, catering, and programs for Taylor's final farewell. The campaign, initially set at 7,500 dollars, has raised 7,026 dollars so far.

"Thank you so much for your generosity, compassion, and support during this devastating time. Your kindness means more to this family than words can express," the page reads.

A Community Demands More Answers

As Adonis faces an adult murder charge, families across the community are calling for broader accountability — not only for those who confronted Taylor, but for individuals who shared the graphic video of her death.

For Nandi, no measure of justice can fill the silence Taylor left behind. The holidays she once anticipated are now marked by absence and unanswered questions — a lasting reminder of what was stolen.