On the evening of April 2, 2024, Troy Cunningham, a 27-year-old Black man, was killed in the Hollywood neighborhood of North Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis Police Department officers were responding to a disturbance call near the Cavalier Court Apartments when they heard multiple gunshots. They soon discovered Cunningham on the sidewalk near the intersection of Peres and Merton Street.
He had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the back of his head.
The investigation revealed that the shooting stemmed from a confrontation. According to evidence presented in court, the incident began when one of the assailants took property from Cunningham. As Cunningham attempted to flee, shots were fired, and he was struck down. The gunfire also hit a passing vehicle carrying two women, one of whom was wounded in the shoulder. Her injuries were not critical.
Investigators identified three suspects in connection with the killing: Jarius Hibbler, TaMarius Barron, and Deario Wilkerson. Hibbler and Barron were arrested in the weeks following the shooting. Wilkerson, however, remained at large for several months. On May 9, 2024, authorities issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of first-degree murder and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force took on the fugitive investigation.
The manhunt for Wilkerson came to a dramatic end on August 26, 2024. Acting on information, a team of U.S. Marshals, Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies, and Memphis police officers tracked him to a residence on North Merton Street, just a block from where Cunningham was killed. As law enforcement surrounded and searched the home, Wilkerson tried to hide in the attic. He then fell through the ceiling and was taken into custody without further incident.
In September 2026, co-defendants Jarius Hibbler and TaMarius Barron faced a Shelby County jury. Evidence showed that Hibbler took property from Cunningham before shooting him, and a witness identified Barron as one of the individuals who fired shots. The jury found both men guilty of aggravated assault resulting in death. This conviction is the latest development in the case.
