On a summer evening in Memphis, Tennessee, a young man's life was cut short in a fatal shooting. Vincent Jones, a 23-year-old male, was killed on Sunday, July 29, 2018, outside the Westwood Community Center. The incident occurred at approximately 8:45 p.m. in the 800 block of Western Park.
Jones was discovered near the basketball court and was pronounced dead at the scene.
In the chaotic moments that followed, two other individuals who had sustained gunshot wounds arrived at Methodist South Hospital. One of these individuals was Thomas Givand, who initially claimed to have been shot in a drive-by on Castalia. The other person also reported being shot at the Westwood basketball court.
As the investigation progressed, police identified the suspect in the Westwood shooting as a man named Thomas. This information led officers at Methodist South to detain Givand for questioning. According to an affidavit, Givand, upon overhearing the officers, stated, 'this doesn't look good, with you standing there talking like that. I'll tell you the truth. I shot him, but he shot me first.” Following this admission, he declined to provide a formal statement to investigators.
A witness to the event told police they saw Givand approach Jones on the basketball court with a gun and demand that he 'run everything in your pockets' just before the sound of gunfire erupted. The entire incident was reportedly captured on a surveillance camera, although the video has not been publicly released.
Thomas Givand, who was 19 at the time, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the perpetration of a felony, specifically robbery, and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. A 13-year-old was also injured in the shooting, sustaining a non-critical wound to the foot and was taken to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.
