Memphis resident Deleon Pierce pleaded guilty on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, to murder in the 2020 shooting that killed Joshua Jenkins during an early-morning fight in an East Memphis strip-mall parking lot. Prosecutors said surveillance footage shows Pierce firing into a crowd as tensions boiled over. Jenkins was rushed to Regional One Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
Prosecutors point to surveillance video
According to WREG, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said the security video clearly captured the 42-year-old Pierce firing at Jenkins. Prosecutors said Pierce was arrested in 2020 and initially charged with first-degree murder after investigators reviewed the footage.
How the case unfolded in 2020
In the hours after the shooting, local coverage described a chaotic scene outside businesses along South Highland, with 911 callers reporting a large group gathered in the lot when shots rang out. Action News 5 reported on the grand-jury indictment that followed and noted that investigators also pursued a firearms-possession enhancement tied to Pierce.
Victim, investigation and aftermath
Memphis police officers found Jenkins suffering from gunshot wounds and had him transported to Regional One, where he was pronounced dead, according to the district attorney’s filing and local reports. Detectives then pulled surveillance footage from nearby businesses and gathered witness statements before prosecutors took the case to a grand jury.
Legal next steps
Pierce’s guilty plea closes a case that began more than five years ago; the plea will be reflected in court records, and a judge is expected to set a sentencing date. At the time of reporting, that sentencing date had not yet been announced publicly.
