On a Sunday evening in Memphis, Tennessee, what began as an altercation in North Memphis escalated into a fatal car chase that ended the life of 18-year-old Deandre Doyle Rogers. On May 6, 2018, around 9:30 p.m., a southbound vehicle pulled alongside the grey Chevrolet Malibu that Rogers was a passenger in, and multiple shots were fired. The shooting occurred on North Cleveland Street near North Watkins, in the vicinity of the Crosstown Concourse.
The hail of bullets resulted in the
deaths of Rogers and another 18-year-old, Dejuan Hill. Four other individuals in the car with them, ranging in age from 14 to 22, were also struck by gunfire and critically injured. Rogers was pronounced dead at the scene, while Hill succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. Friends of the victims later stated they believed the occupants of the car were not the intended targets of the shooters. The suspect vehicle was described by police as a gold 4-door sedan.
In September 2019, a significant development occurred in the investigation. Jarmon Smith, who was 24 years old at the time, was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Deandre Rogers and Dejuan Hill. In addition to the murder charges, Smith was also indicted on four counts of attempted first-degree murder and four counts of employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony. Following the indictment, he was held on a $2 million bond. The case was handled by the Shelby County District Attorney's Crime Strategies Prosecution Unit.
