Whitehaven Teen's Killing Leads to Murder Charge for 19-Year-Old, Police Say

A 19-year-old Memphis man is facing first-degree murder charges after police say he shot and killed a 17-year-old outside a Whitehaven apartment complex late last November, with investigators piecing together the case through witness statements, social media photos, and an abandoned car found miles from the scene.

Memphis Police officers responded to a shooting call at an apartment complex in the 4800 block of Farris Circle on November 21, according to the Memphis Police Department, arriving at 11:22 p.m. to find 17-year-old Travarious Griffin suffering from several gunshot wounds. Griffin was taken to Regional One Health, where he later died, according to an affidavit cited by Action News 5.

According to the affidavit, a witness who was doing Griffin's hair before the shooting told officers she saw Tyler Siggers, now 19, shoot him. That witness later identified Siggers in a six-person photo lineup, the station's report states. A separate witness statement said Siggers fled the scene driving a black Audi, while police say surveillance video showed the suspect leaving in a black sedan with tinted windows and black rims.

Social Media Photos and an Abandoned Car Point to Siggers

Investigators say a witness also provided officers with Siggers' social media account, which included photos of Siggers alongside the vehicle suspected in his getaway. Per the same account, the car was later found abandoned less than three miles from the scene, a detail detectives used to help tie Siggers to the shooting.

Siggers now faces first-degree murder charges, along with a charge of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, and a theft charge tied to the vehicle, valued between $10,000 and $60,000, according to the affidavit. Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-13-202, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, with sentencing options that include life with parole eligibility after 51 years, life without parole, or death, according to Justia Law.

Firearm and Theft Charges Carry Their Own Mandatory Terms

The firearm charge, a Class C felony under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-17-1324, carries a mandatory minimum of six years in state prison that must be served consecutively to any sentence for the underlying felony, per Justia Law. The auto theft charge stems from Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-105, which classifies theft of property valued between $10,000 and $60,000 as a Class C felony, according to guidelines published by the Memphis Police Department.

Hoodline previously reported on the shooting and the initial murder charges against Siggers in November, when he was believed to be 18. His age is now listed as 19, and the underlying allegations — the shooting, the fleeing vehicle, and the witness identification — remain consistent with what police described at the time. The 4800 block of Farris Circle was also the site of an earlier, unrelated incident in May 2025, when a 13-year-old girl was shot in an accidental shooting at the same complex.

Case Unfolds Amid Sharp Citywide Drops in Violent Crime

The case comes as Memphis has reported significant declines in violent crime. The Memphis Police Department's Q2 2026 report shows citywide murders fell 60% compared to the same period in 2025, while overall Part I violent crime dropped 36% year-to-date. The department also reported that its Homicide Bureau closed 81% of homicide cases in the second quarter of 2026, compared to a 47% clearance rate during the same period the prior year, attributing the improvement to focused investigative resources and interagency partnerships.

Motor vehicle thefts, relevant given the auto theft charge against Siggers, fell 54% citywide in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, per the department's data. Countywide, the Shelby County District Attorney's Office reported in its 2025 Impact Report that violent crime fell 21% compared to the previous year, with District Attorney Steve Mulroy crediting targeted prosecution strategies for the decrease.

The DA's office runs what it calls the V11 initiative, a targeted prosecution framework that prioritizes 11 specific violent crime categories, including first-degree murder and gun violence offenses, from arrest through trial. Cases like the one against Siggers fall squarely within that framework, which focuses resources on expediting serious violent crime cases and seeking firm bail conditions.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Crime Stoppers of Memphis and Shelby County at 901-528-CASH. As with any pending criminal case, the charges against Siggers remain allegations that have not yet been proven in court.