In the spring of 2016, a senseless act of violence tragically cut short the life of 15-year-old Amberiya Davis. An African American female, she was fatally shot on the evening of April 24, 2016, in Memphis, Tennessee. The incident was the result of a drive-by shooting that erupted from an ongoing dispute involving a group of teenagers. Amberiya was struck in the back by a bullet and was discovered lying in the grass at the Foote Homes public housing complex.
Another teenager sustained minor injuries in the shooting.
The investigation into Amberiya's death moved swiftly, and two days after the shooting, a suspect was taken into custody. Yamar Calvin, who was 15 years old at the time of the incident, was arrested and subsequently charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony. The case was handled by the District Attorney's Multi-Agency Gang Prosecution Unit, which focuses on homicides and other violent crimes associated with gang activity.
Given the gravity of the crime, the decision was made to transfer Yamar Calvin, then 16, to be tried as an adult. In February 2017, a Shelby County grand jury indicted him on the charges. While Calvin's father publicly stated that his son was not the one who shot Amberiya, he did admit that his son had purchased a gun several months prior to the incident. The legal proceedings that followed were closely monitored by a community shaken by the violent loss of a young life.
