In the fading light of a late spring evening in Memphis, Tennessee, a casual card game among friends in a South Memphis field took a tragic turn, ending the life of 49-year-old Freddie Sledge. On May 24, 2020, Sledge was enjoying the company of others at a card table set up in a field in the 400 block of Cambridge Avenue when the leisurely scene was shattered by gunfire.
He was a man in the wrong place at the most unfortunate of times, an unintended victim in a sudden act of violence.
The events of that evening unfolded as several men were engrossed in their card game. A vehicle, driven by a man later identified as 32-year-old Derrick Conway, pulled up near the gathering. Witnesses reported that Conway exchanged words with one of the other men at the table before he began shooting into the group. In the ensuing chaos, Freddie Sledge was struck by multiple bullets. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he died a short time later.
In the days that followed the shooting, investigators worked to piece together the events that led to Sledge's senseless death. Through witness statements, they were able to identify Derrick Conway as the man who had opened fire on the card game. Two weeks after the incident, Conway was located and taken into custody by law enforcement. The investigation concluded that Freddie Sledge was not the person Conway had intended to target that evening, a fact that only deepened the tragedy for his loved ones.
The legal process moved forward, and in April of 2021, a grand jury indicted Derrick Conway on a charge of first-degree murder. The case was assigned to the Shelby County District Attorney's Special Prosecution Unit, a division that focuses on securing maximum sentences for repeat felony offenders, indicating the seriousness with which the justice system viewed the crime.
