A Memphis firearm meetup that investigators say turned into a robbery and killing has now produced murder charges against two men, with one suspect accused of arranging the transaction and the other allegedly driving the getaway car. The case has been building for more than two months since the May shooting in the Cherokee neighborhood.
According to WREG, police say the victim arranged to meet someone to buy a firearm immediately before he was shot in the 3000 block of Sharpe Avenue on May 16. Investigators say a Chime transfer from the victim's account went to an account associated with Jeremy Williams around the time of the homicide, while video showed a red or burgundy Lexus arriving near the scene. Police also say the victim's cellphone was taken and later found near Wesfield Drive and Wesfield Cove, and that Williams was identified as the front-seat passenger in a six-person photo lineup.
The first public account was less specific: Memphis police responded to a shots-fired call near Sharpe Avenue and Semmes Street shortly before 8:30 p.m., found a wounded man, and rushed him to the hospital. Action News 5 reported at the time that no suspect information had been released while the investigation remained active. The victim later died at Regional One, according to the later case account.
Darion Holliway, 20, was arrested Thursday and told investigators he drove the red Lexus on the day of the homicide, then left the shooting scene, WREG reports. He is charged with first-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, theft of property of $1,000 or less, and a firearm-related dangerous-felony charge. Williams faces the same core charges and is held on a $1 million bond, while Holliway's bond had not been set.
Two Court Dates Now Set In Memphis
Holliway was due in court Friday, while Williams is scheduled to return Monday. The Memphis Police Department previously said Williams surrendered after investigators stayed in contact with him and his family, and described the charges in its arrest notice. Both men are accused, not convicted, and the allegations will be tested in court.
The shooting initially drew neighborhood attention as an unresolved Cherokee-area homicide, not an alleged gun-sale robbery. Hoodline's earlier Sharpe Avenue shooting report captured that first stage of the investigation; the new arrests add a transaction trail, a vehicle account and an alleged division of roles to the case.
