Laderek Tayshun Ferguson, a 22-year-old Black / African American man, was killed during a late-night shooting at a convenience store in LaGrange, Georgia, on August 23, 2023. Shortly before midnight, Ferguson walked into the 76 gas station at 315 New Franklin Road to purchase a drink. Surveillance footage later shown to a jury placed him inside the store at approximately 11:47 p.m., only minutes before the confrontation that would end his life.
While Ferguson was still near the register, a sedan pulled up and parked close to the store's front entrance. Three of the four people in the vehicle entered the convenience store at about 11:49 p.m. As Ferguson made his way toward the exit, one of the people associated with the arriving group initiated a verbal confrontation with him near the doorway. The exchange of words unfolded quickly as Ferguson was trying to leave.
According to evidence presented at trial, Dorian Jaquaylen Malik Darden, also known as "PsyCo," remained near the sedan. During the confrontation, the rear passenger door opened and Darden was seen holding and then aiming an AR-style firearm at Ferguson. Prosecutors said Darden opened fire, striking Ferguson four times. Even after being shot and falling toward the ground, Ferguson returned fire, striking Darden in the torso. Ferguson succumbed to his gunshot wounds moments later.
LaGrange police responded to the gas station at approximately 11:50 p.m. after reports of gunfire. Ferguson was pronounced dead at the scene. The shooting left several other people wounded as well. Early police reports identified Lezly Samuels, Timariha Allen and Darden among those taken to hospitals following the gunfire. Two of the surviving wounded individuals were later reported to have been released, while another remained hospitalized in stable condition at the time of the initial investigation.
The case initially remained under investigation while Darden received extensive medical treatment for the wound Ferguson inflicted during the exchange. Darden remained hospitalized for just under two months before authorities arrested him. Investigators continued assembling surveillance footage and other evidence surrounding the encounter. Prosecutors later introduced evidence that while Darden was still hospitalized, he made a September 11, 2023, social-media post containing a screenshot of rap lyrics referring to carrying out a public shooting despite the presence of cameras. The post became part of the evidence presented against him.
Investigators also developed evidence connecting Darden to the Rollin' 60s Neighborhood Crips criminal street gang. Prosecutors maintained that Ferguson's killing was not merely the result of the argument that developed outside the store. Their case was that Darden committed the shooting in furtherance of the gang's criminal objectives and as a means of maintaining or increasing his status within the organization. The gang allegations ultimately resulted in additional felony counts beyond the murder and weapons charges.
Darden's case went to trial in Troup County in September 2026. The trial began on September 22, with Chief Assistant District Attorney Jack Winne prosecuting and LaGrange Police Department Sergeants Stephen Spivey and Jarrod Anderson identified as the lead investigators. Prosecutors relied heavily on the surveillance recording, which documented Ferguson's arrival, the sedan pulling up, the confrontation near the doorway and Darden aiming the firearm before the fatal gunfire.
On September 25, 2026, the jury found Darden guilty of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and two violations of the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. Senior Superior Court Judge Fletcher Sams, sitting by designation, sentenced Darden to life in prison without the possibility of parole, followed by an additional 40 years in prison.
The conviction brought the criminal case surrounding Ferguson's death to a conclusion more than three years after the shooting. Authorities characterized the killing as gang-motivated violence, with the prosecution establishing that Darden had fired the shots that killed Ferguson and that Ferguson's return fire was what wounded Darden. Public reporting has not established that the other people who arrived in the sedan with Darden were charged in connection with Ferguson's killing.
