A man was shot multiple times and beaten with a sledgehammer outside the Harmony Woods apartments in Highland Heights Sunday night, and police say the driver who brought the attackers to the scene did it for half a gram of fentanyl and some gas money. Clayton Lee Meredith, 36, is now charged with attempted first-degree murder after investigators tied him to the assault through neighborhood video and police databases.
Masked Men Attack Victim With Sledgehammer, Then Open Fire
According to court documents cited by Fox 13 Memphis, officers responded to Harmony Court in Highland Heights around 8:40 p.m. Sunday for a shooting call. The victim, identified as Brian Kelley, told police three masked men jumped out of a black hatchback at the Harmony Woods apartments, beat him with a sledgehammer, then each grabbed a gun and shot him. Kelley suffered multiple gunshot wounds to his right hip, back and right shoulder, according to the report.
Per WREG, the victim also suffered several abrasions. Kelley managed to walk to a nearby convenience store for help and was taken to Regional One, according to Fox 13's account of the court documents. The outlet reported the attack happened in the 3300 block of Harmony Court.
Video Leads Police to Suspect Known as Lucky
A witness told investigators he knew one of the suspects only by the nickname “Lucky,” the station's report indicates. Detectives then used surveillance video from the area along with police databases to identify Lucky as Meredith. Video footage reportedly showed a black four-door hatchback with no license plate traveling slowly south on National Street near Macon Road before turning into the Harmony Woods parking lot, then leaving again after the attack.
Police connected the hatchback to a 2007 black Kia Spectra with no plate registered to Meredith and issued a bolo alert for him and the vehicle, per the same account. Officers spotted a matching black Kia Spectra on Summer Avenue two days later and performed a traffic stop, identifying the driver as Meredith.
Suspect Admits Giving Two Men a Ride, Denies Seeing Attack
Meredith allegedly told investigators he'd picked up two men and given them a ride to the apartment complex in exchange for half a gram of fentanyl and gas money, according to the court documents referenced by Fox 13. He said the two men got back into his car after the shooting, and he drove them to another location, where they got out and parted ways. Meredith told detectives he didn't see what happened but heard three gunshots after the men left the vehicle.
Meredith is now charged with criminal attempt felony to wit: first-degree murder, along with driving without a license in possession, violation of vehicle registration, a taillight requirement violation and a financial responsibility violation. He is being held on a $200,000 bond and was due in court Thursday, Fox 13 reported. Police have not identified the other two men allegedly involved in the attack.
