In the early hours of September 2, 2019, in Memphis, Tennessee, the life of 17-year-old Kemi Bacon was tragically cut short. The young Black female was a passenger in a Pontiac G6 at a Marathon gas station on South Perkins when a fateful sequence of events began to unfold. One of the juveniles in the car with Kemi attempted to steal a white Infiniti that had been left running and unattended.
A 24-year-old man named Lakendrick Bunting, who was a customer at the gas station, witnessed the
attempted car theft from inside the store. Armed with a 9mm handgun, Bunting confronted the juvenile. As the would-be thief abandoned the attempt and fled back to the Pontiac, Bunting gave chase and opened fire on the vehicle as it sped away. A bullet from Bunting's gun struck Kemi in the torso.
The driver of the Pontiac fled the scene and drove to the 4100 block of Cochese Avenue, where Kemi was removed from the car and left lying in the road. Emergency services were called, and she was rushed to a nearby hospital, but her injuries proved to be fatal.
Following an investigation into the shooting, Lakendrick Bunting was arrested and charged with second-degree murder, four counts of attempted second-degree murder, and four counts of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. During questioning, Bunting admitted to firing his weapon but claimed that the occupants of the Pontiac had fired at him first. However, the other passengers in the car with Kemi told investigators that they only returned fire after Bunting had already started shooting at them as they fled.
