Christmas morning at a Hickory Hill Exxon turned deadly, and now a 17-year-old boy is facing charges linked to the shooting that left one man dead and another wounded, authorities said. The juvenile is accused of accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence in the Dec. 25 case, which follows an earlier arrest that brought murder and firearm-related counts for another suspect.
The Memphis Police Department says officers were called to the Exxon at 4138 Kirby Parkway around 11:06 a.m. on Dec. 25, where they found a man who was pronounced dead at the scene. A second man later showed up at a hospital with a non-critical gunshot wound, according to the department. The same release identifies 19-year-old Ja’Vonte Cooper as a suspect charged with Second Degree Murder and Employment of a Firearm During the Commission of a Dangerous Felony, and notes that a 17-year-old male is charged with Accessory After the Fact: Second Degree Murder and Tampering with Evidence. The juvenile is not named in the police report.
Officers were dispatched to the corner of Kirby Parkway and East Raines Road after what police say started as an argument between the two men before shots were fired, Action News 5 reported. That coverage said Cooper was arrested shortly after the shooting and charged, with one victim pronounced dead at the scene and the second treated for non-critical injuries as investigators continued to collect evidence and look for witnesses.
On Jan. 27, FOX13 Memphis reported that a 17-year-old was taken into custody in connection with the case and formally charged with accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence. According to the station, police had been searching for a juvenile person of interest before the arrest, and authorities declined to release the teen’s identity because he is a minor.
Charges explained
Tennessee law defines accessory after the fact as conduct that knowingly helps an offender avoid arrest or prosecution, an offense listed in Tenn. Code Ann. §39-11-411. Tampering with or fabricating evidence, covered by Tenn. Code Ann. §39-16-503, makes it a crime to alter, destroy, or conceal a record, documen,t or other thing with the intent to impair its value in an investigation. Taken together, the statutes indicate the juvenile is accused of allegedly helping to obstruct or hide evidence rather than being charged as the shooter, per the police release and statute texts.
Investigation and public appeal
The Memphis Police Department says the investigation remains active and notes that arrests have been made in the case. Local outlets report that investigators are still asking anyone with information about the Christmas Day shooting to contact law enforcement as officers continue to develop leads.
Hickory Hill context
Hickory Hill has been the focus of recent safety efforts, including a county plan to roll out a network of 25 new surveillance cameras intended to deter crime and give residents a say in where they are placed. The double arrest in the Dec. 25 case highlights ongoing concerns about daytime confrontations and gun violence in the neighborhood.
