In the early morning hours of May 15, 2016, a 26-year-old Black male named Claude Bell was fatally shot in Memphis, Tennessee. The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. outside of a Cash Express located on Ridgeway Road. Officers arriving at the scene discovered Bell inside his vehicle with gunshot wounds. He was quickly transported to the Regional Medical Center, but he did not survive his injuries.
The investigation into the shooting led Memphis police to identify two suspects. The first to be apprehended was 23-year-old Ryan Anderson. During questioning, Anderson confessed to his involvement in the shooting, admitting that he had shot Bell multiple times. He revealed that the motive behind the fatal encounter was an attempted robbery. According to police, Anderson and another individual had arranged to meet with Bell at the convenience store under the pretense of buying marijuana from him. Surveillance footage from the business showed Anderson and another man entering the establishment with Bell.
A second suspect, 31-year-old Rayford Brandon, was arrested a short time later in connection with the homicide. A distinctive piece of clothing, an American flag hat that Brandon was reportedly wearing at the time of the incident, played a role in his identification. Investigators located the hat inside Bell's stolen vehicle, linking Brandon to the crime scene.
Both Ryan Anderson and Rayford Brandon were charged with first-degree murder in the perpetration of an attempted robbery. Following their arrests, they were both held at the Shelby County Jail as the legal process against them began.
