On a September day in 2020, 18-year-old Antoine Cortez Sims Jr., a male from West Memphis, traveled to Memphis with a friend. Their plan was to purchase marijuana in the Binghampton neighborhood. They drove to an apartment building parking lot on North Merton Street to meet the seller.
During the transaction, an issue arose concerning the payment, with allegations that Sims and his companion attempted to use counterfeit money.
Following a brief argument, the seller, identified as 19-year-old Kenneth Givens, instructed them to leave. As they were driving away, Givens allegedly opened fire on their vehicle, striking both Sims and his 20-year-old friend in the back of the head.
Both young men were wounded, and Antoine Cortez Sims Jr. succumbed to his injuries two days later, on September 17, 2020, in a hospital. His friend survived the shooting and was later released from the hospital.
Following an investigation, Kenneth Givens was identified as the suspect in the shooting. He was apprehended and arrested on December 15, 2020. On May 3, 2021, a grand jury indicted Givens on charges of first-degree murder for the death of Antoine Sims Jr., as well as two counts of attempted first-degree murder and employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony.
