A 19-year-old man is facing first-degree murder charges after investigators say he tried to rob two people as they left a house party in Oakhaven, triggering a gunfight that left one of them dead. De’Von Washington is charged with first-degree murder in Terry Sharp’s death, along with aggravated robbery and employing a firearm during a felony.
According to Action News 5, Memphis police reported the charges against Washington following an investigation into the Nov. 3 shooting on Brompton Road. Officers responding to a shooting call that day found Sharp suffering from gunshot wounds, according to court documents cited in the report.
A Party Exit Turned Deadly
Court documents describe how the confrontation unfolded. Sharp’s friend told investigators the two had been at a house party and were trying to leave when Washington stopped them, according to the same court records.
Investigators said Washington tried to rob Sharp and the friend during that encounter. Per court documents, Washington pressed a gun against the friend before the situation escalated further.
Gunfire Breaks Out
Washington and Sharp then exchanged gunfire, according to investigators. Sharp was shot and killed during that exchange, leaving his friend to witness the aftermath of an attempted robbery that turned fatal in seconds.
Investigators identified Washington as a suspect using photos taken during the party itself, according to court documents — a detail that points to how partygoers’ own images became part of the evidence tying him to the scene.
Case Moves Forward
The article detailing the charges was authored by Hannah Kozlowski. Washington, 19, now faces the combined weight of a murder count, an aggravated robbery count, and a charge for employing a firearm during a felony, all stemming from the single encounter on Brompton Road.
Deadly violence tied to house parties has surfaced elsewhere in the Memphis area this year. In August, Memphis police said two people were arrested in connection with a separate mass shooting at a house party, which left one person dead and four injured, according to commercialappeal.com. In that case, one of the injured remained hospitalized in stable condition days later, the outlet reported.
