In the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee, a gathering of friends around a video game console turned into a scene of tragedy on the evening of October 30, 2019. Rafael Grace, a 22-year-old African American male, was fatally shot at the Peppertree Apartments on Graceland. Witnesses reported that while Grace and others were engrossed in their game, a man approached him from behind and, without any warning, fired a single shot to the back of his head.
Grace was pronounced dead at the scene.
The man identified by witnesses as the shooter was 25-year-old Cortavious Johnson. At the time of the incident, Johnson was already a person of interest to law enforcement, wanted in connection with a non-fatal shooting that had occurred just a week prior. Following the death of Rafael Grace, a manhunt for Johnson ensued.
Approximately ten days after the deadly shooting, authorities located and apprehended Cortavious Johnson. In June of 2020, a grand jury indicted Johnson on charges of first-degree murder for the death of Rafael Grace. The prosecution of the case was assigned to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office.
