Inset left: Tony Curry (Shelby County Sheriff”s Office). Inset right: Shaton Cobb (Ford & Sons Funeral Home/The Daily Memphian). Background: Tires Llantas at 4697 Winchester Road in Memphis, Tennessee (Google Maps).
A Tennessee man allegedly shot and killed a Memphis store owner after his mother got into a physical fight with him earlier in the day.
According to Shelby County court records, 29-year-old Tony Curry faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and using a firearm with intent to commit a felony. These charges were announced this week, although the incident itself took place nearly two months prior, on June 13.
As detailed in a complaint affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, an altercation occurred at Tires Llantas at 4697 Winchester Road in Memphis. It involved a woman and the shop’s proprietor, Shaton Cobb. The exact cause of the dispute is unclear, but reports indicate that the woman “sprayed him with pepper spray and Mr. Cobb pushed her to the ground.”
The incident was described by another employee, who noted that the conflict continued even after the woman departed. A few hours later, “a male came to the tire shop and asked for the owner.” After being directed to Cobb, the two engaged in conversation – until the suspect drew a gun and shot Cobb “several times and then turned and shot” the other employee, according to authorities.
Cobb was declared deceased by the arriving police officers, while the other victim was urgently taken to a local hospital with gunshot wounds to her legs, the affidavit reports. The investigators interviewed her, and she quickly identified her assailant.
The court document specifies, “When investigators asked if she recognized the male, she said he was the son of the lady that was at the shop earlier and sprayed Mr. Cobb,” highlighting that the woman described identifying features that aligned with the son of the woman involved in the earlier confrontation.
When this victim at the hospital was given a six-person photo lineup, “immediately without hesitation she picked out Tony Curry as the person that shot her and Shaton Cobb,” the document concludes.
Court records show Curry was previously charged in the summer of 2022 with the unlawful possession of a weapon and violating vehicle registration laws, both misdemeanors.
Curry is jailed in Shelby County under no bond. His next court appearance is set for Monday.
