Who is Tara Nicole Vinson? Fort Bragg sergeant, 26, shot dead fellow soldier Kelia Horton, 22, for dating ex
FAYETTEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA: A female soldier from Fort Bragg has been arrested after she allegedly killed another servicewoman after finding out she was dating her ex-boyfriend. According to reports, Sgt Tara Nicole Vinson allegedly shot dead Kelia Horton in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Friday, May 7.
Horton’s cousin Jadaiah Farris told the Daily Mail that the 26-year-old accused went to her former lover’s house in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where the incident happened. She reportedly assaulted and shot dead Horton, who is a single parent to two small kids. The victim also used to work at the nearby Fort Bragg US Army base. According to the Fayetteville Police Department, the 22-year-old was found unresponsive with a gunshot injury in the driveway of the house in the 1400 block of Ferndell Drive around 1.30 pm.
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Farris said that after murdering Horton, Vinson allegedly was heard claiming that the bullets were actually for her unnamed ex, who was not present at the crime scene at the time. The cousin also mentioned that though both women -- the suspect and the victim -- worked at the same location, they did not know each other and “never argued”. “They weren't friends or enemies,” she added.
Describing Horton as “the most loving person”, Farris said she had just started dating the man whom Vinson claimed was her former boyfriend. “She was the sweetest person. She would literally give the shirt off her back,” Farris said of her cousin. Their romance reportedly began after the man split up from the accused, as according to him, the relationship was “toxic”. Farris also mentioned, citing unverified sources, that Vinson was going to become the mother of her ex-boyfriend’s child.
Meanwhile, police said cops found Horton unconscious after arriving at the scene. As per Fayetteville Police Sgt Jeremy Glass, they tried a number of life-saving measures, but eventually, she succumbed to her injuries at a hospital. Vinson was taken into custody for the alleged murder and has been charged with first-degree murder and discharging a firearm into occupied property. She has reportedly been kept at the Cumberland County Jail without bond.
Col Joseph Buccino, a spokesman for the 18th Airborne Corps, told The Fayetteville Observer that both Vinson and Horton were posted at Fort Bragg. Horton was employed as a motorpool clerk assigned to the 525th Military Intelligence Brigade after she joined the Army four years ago. Vinson, of Norfolk, Virginia, was in duty since January 2014 as a parachute rigger assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group. “Since last night, our priority has been supporting Kelia Horton’s Family and friends. That focus continues. This is a tragic, senseless loss and a terrible moment, particularly for those here who knew Kelia. The command at the 525 Military Intelligence Brigade is organizing grief counseling for Kelia’s fellow Soldiers and engaging with the Family,” Buccino added.
Earlier, in another incident, a male Fort Bragg soldier murdered his heavily pregnant wife before killing himself. The incident reportedly happened in December 2020 when Sergeant Keith Lewis, a 31-year-old member of the Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, executed the murder-suicide in front of his three-year-old daughter.