In the spring of 2016, a burst of gunfire shattered the late-night quiet of a North Memphis neighborhood, leaving one man dead in an ironic twist of fate. On the evening of Tuesday, March 22nd, 29-year-old Christopher Thompson Jr. was in the 900 block of Avalon Street near Vollintine Avenue. He was not alone; with him was a man identified as Darick Lane. The two were reportedly firing at a vehicle occupied by two other men.
The chaotic scene of the shootout took a sudden and tragic turn.
In the midst of the gunfire, a fatal error occurred. Police later reported that Lane, while shooting at the car, accidentally struck his own accomplice. A bullet from Lane's weapon hit Thompson in the back of the head, ending his life. What began as a collaborative assault concluded with one of the aggressors becoming an unintended victim.
Following the incident, law enforcement quickly identified Darick Lane as the individual responsible for Thompson's death. He was taken into custody and faced serious legal consequences for his actions that night. The charges brought against him included second-degree murder for the death of Christopher Thompson Jr., as well as attempted murder for the initial act of firing upon the two men in the car. A judge set Lane's bond at a substantial $3 million.
