Background: The intersection of East Dison Avenue and Carnegie Street in Memphis, Tennessee (Google Maps). Inset top: Verdell Pegues (Shelby County Sheriff”s Office). Inset bottom: Lashaunda Boyd (Serenity Funeral Home).
In Tennessee, a man stands accused of fatally shooting his former girlfriend and a man accompanying her, following several reported domestic violence incidents just days prior.
Verdell Pegues, aged 41, faces charges including two counts of first-degree murder, reckless endangerment with a weapon, using a firearm with intent to commit a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The victims, as reported by Memphis CBS affiliate WREG, have been identified as 36-year-old Lashaunda Boyd and 37-year-old Jimmy Ford.
Shelby County court documents reveal that Pegues is currently detained with a bond set at $1 million, according to a review by Law&Crime.
On March 18, Boyd reportedly lodged two police complaints related to domestic violence against Pegues, alleging he assaulted her. She recounted an incident on March 15 where he allegedly struck her multiple times in the face, and two days later, brandished what appeared to be a 9 mm handgun, threatening, “If I can’t have you, no one can.”
On March 22, shortly before noon, Boyd and Ford were walking near the junction of East Dison Avenue and Carnegie Street in Memphis. Video evidence reviewed by the Memphis Police Department reportedly captures a man approaching and shooting the pair as they walked along the sidewalk.
Both Boyd and Ford collapsed to the pavement, and the assailant — later identified as Pegues — allegedly stood over them and discharged his weapon again.
Officers reportedly responded to the scene to find the two shooting victims on the ground by the intersection with gunshot wounds. They found 9 mm cartridge casings on the ground nearby.
Boyd was pronounced dead at the scene; Ford was taken to an area hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, WREG reported.
Police spoke with witnesses, with multiple allegedly telling investigators that a man named “RaRa” was Boyd’s ex-boyfriend and was responsible for the killings. One witness said they saw “RaRa” shoot Ford and Boyd, and this witness later identified Pegues as the suspect to whom he was referring.
Pegues was arrested and had a video arraignment on Wednesday.
