In the autumn of 2020, a workplace dispute in Memphis, Tennessee, escalated into a fatal roadside encounter, claiming the life of 44-year-old Antonian Smith. On the evening of November 13, police responded to what appeared to be a car accident on Kirby Parkway at Valley Park Drive. Inside his vehicle, Smith was discovered deceased, not from the crash, but from a gunshot wound to his head.
His white SUV was riddled with bullet holes on the right side, a clear indication of a targeted attack.
The investigation into Smith's death quickly centered on his 27-year-old co-worker at Trane, Courtney Malone. According to investigators, the two men had engaged in an argument before leaving their workplace that night. The animosity was not new; Smith had previously reported being harassed by Malone on several occasions. The events that unfolded after they left work were captured in part by surveillance cameras. Malone was seen leaving his job thirty minutes early and closely following Smith's vehicle.
A crucial piece of evidence came from a witness who reported receiving a frantic phone call from Smith shortly before his death. In the call, Smith stated that 'the guy who works with me who drives a lime green Dodge Charger just shot up my truck,' before the line disconnected. This description matched Malone and his vehicle. Real Time Crime Center cameras recorded the two vehicles traveling north on Kirby Parkway. The footage captured muzzle flashes coming from the driver's side of the Dodge Charger as it moved alongside Smith's SUV.
Three days after the shooting, Courtney Malone was taken into custody and charged with the murder of Antonian Smith. In July of the following year, a grand jury indicted Malone on one count of first-degree murder. He was held on a $250,000 bond as the case proceeded through the legal system. The prosecution is being handled by the Shelby County District Attorney's Office.
