Teen girl gets killed one day before prom, so her boyfriend carried her poster photo as his date and danced with her image all night [VIDEO]

After Saturah Hayes was shot and killed at a pre-prom gathering, her boyfriend carried a life-sized poster of her to the dance and held it high all night

A 17-year-old girl was shot and killed at a pre-prom photo gathering in Brownsville, Tennessee, on May 8. The next night, her boyfriend found a way to honor her and to keep her memory alive. He carried a large printed poster of her as his date for the night.

In a video posted to X by @raphousetv7, he is shown wearing a white suit with gold floral embroidery. He holds her image high with both hands, and dances with it. Meanwhile, a crowd of his peers dance around him. The footage has been viewed over 1 million times.

Saturah Hayes was a junior at Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tennessee. She arrived at Webb Banks Passive Park on the evening of May 8, dressed for pre-prom photographs. Hayes took one photo before an altercation broke out, erupting in gunfire. She was the only fatality.

The Shooting Happened at a Beloved Pre-Prom Community Tradition

Webb Banks Passive Park in Brownsville was the designated spot for Haywood High School students to gather before prom each year. Families lined the grass. Photographers set up near the trees. Students in formal wear posed for pictures that would be posted on social media and saved in yearbooks. The tradition was meant to be a night of celebration. Instead, it was a night of violence.

The gathering on May 8 included roughly 100 students and their relatives. At some point during the evening, an altercation began between individuals in the crowd. Witness accounts differ on what triggered it. However, the outcome is not disputed. Shots were fired, and seven people were hit. Hayes died at the scene or shortly after. Four to six others were injured, with some requiring airlift to Memphis hospitals.

The shooting marked the first homicide in Haywood County in nearly two years. For a small, tight-knit community already grappling with rural challenges, the violence felt like an earthquake. Students who had been looking forward to prom and graduation suddenly expressed reluctance to attend anything at all. The school district ultimately canceled the prom.

Saturah Hayes Was a Junior Who Wanted to Become a Nurse

Friends and family described Hayes as a hardworking student with a bright personality who made everyone around her laugh. A junior at Haywood High School, she had her sights set on becoming a nurse. Hayes spent part of the day before the shooting doing her mother’s hair and younger sister’s hair in advance of Mother’s Day, which fell two days later on May 10.

Her mother, Stacey Hayes (also referred to as Astacia in some reports), spoke publicly for the first time at a May 12 press conference held at the Haywood County School Board of Education. She stood alongside the district attorney, the sheriff, the county mayor, and the Brownsville mayor. Stacey Hayes described her daughter’s final moments in plain, devastating terms.

“She didn’t even make it to her boyfriend to take pictures,” Stacey Hayes said. “She was shot down; She only took one picture with her friends.” After her statement, Hayes turned to the community. “Somebody say something. It was way too many of you out there not to know who shot and killed my baby. But please, please, please, I’m begging y’all. If you don’t do it for nobody else, do it for Saturah.”

Boyfriend Carried Her Poster Through Prom Festivities

The young man at the center of the viral video has not been publicly identified. News reports refer to him as Hayes’s boyfriend and designated prom date. However, his name has not been released. Furthermore, he has not spoken to the media. What is known is what the footage shows. He arrived at a prom-related event wearing a white suit jacket and pants with gold floral embroidery on the shoulders and lapels, gold-colored shoes, and sunglasses. His dark curly hair was styled in an afro. In his hands, he carried a large vertical rectangular poster.

The poster featured a printed image of Saturah Hayes in the outfit she had worn for pre-prom photos. The photograph shows her wearing a pink mortarboard-style cap with a tassel, a gray long-sleeve top, a short white pleated skirt, white socks, and black shoes. She is posed standing next to a white table. There, she is holding a dark rectangular object that resembles a diploma folder or a clutch purse. The image is clear, colorful, and life-sized.

In the clip, he lifts the poster high with both hands and turns it toward the camera. After that, he begins to move rhythmically. He dances while holding her image, stepping side to side, turning his body, and adjusting his grip so the poster faces different directions.

A young woman in a bright green floor-length sequined dress dances nearby. Other attendees in formal wear move around him, some smiling, some watching. Subtitles appear intermittently. First, “All night long” near the beginning. After that, “Missed you my love” around the 16-second mark.

The Investigation Remains Open With No Arrests Made

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has taken the lead on the case, assisted by the Brownsville Police Department and the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office. At the May 12 press conference, District Attorney Fredrick Agee stressed that photos, videos, or any information from the park scene were essential to building a prosecutable case. He urged anyone with footage — even something that seemed insignificant — to submit it to authorities.

Sheriff Billy Garrett addressed the shooter directly from the podium. “We will find you,” he said. “You will be held accountable.” Brownsville Mayor William Rawls Jr. and Haywood County Mayor David Livingston both condemned the incident as one of the most egregious acts of violence the area had ever seen. A reward for information has been referenced in some coverage. However, the exact amount has not been confirmed.

The public has been directed to contact the TBI tip line at 1-800-TBI-FIND. As of press time, no suspects have been identified. As a result, no arrests have been made. Investigators continue to review photographs and videos taken by attendees at the park. They believe someone in the crowd knows what happened.

Social Media Reacts to the Tribute Video and the Mother’s Pleas for Answers

The X post from @raphousetv7 has received over 1 million views. In addition, it was met with thousands of likes, reposts, and replies. The caption reads: “His prom date tragically passed away just one day before prom, and rather than going with someone else, he brought a photo of her to honor her memory and keep her by his side on that special night 💔🕊️.” The video embedded in the post shows the boyfriend dancing with the poster as described.

Reactions have been overwhelmingly emotional. One user wrote: “He didn’t let her miss prom. He brought her anyway. That’s love.” Another commented: “This broke me. She should have been there. He made sure she was.” A third said: “I’m crying. He carried her like she was still walking next to him.”

Some replies focused on the shooting itself. “Seven people shot. One dead. A whole community traumatized. And nobody is talking?” one user wrote. Another responded: “Someone knows who did this. Someone always knows. Speak up.” A smaller number of comments questioned whether dancing while holding her image was appropriate. However, the vast majority defended the gesture as a sincere expression of grief and remembrance.

The Aftermath: How Prom Night and Graduation Were Handled

Haywood County Schools closed on Monday, May 11, to allow students and staff time to grieve. The district planned staff return on Tuesday and student returned on Wednesday. As a result, there were adjusted bus schedules, increased law enforcement presence, grief counselors, and mental health professionals available on campus. Superintendent Amie Marsh communicated to families that the return to school was about coming together with care rather than resuming normal operations.

Large events were restricted. Both high school and middle school graduations were moved indoors for security and sensitivity reasons. The prom was canceled. Also, the tradition of gathering at Webb Banks Passive Park for pre-prom photos has effectively ended.

For the students who survived the shooting, the trauma lingers. In addition, no one knows if the park tradition will ever return.

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