Marchant D. Davis I, a 47-year-old Black man, died on January 17, 2024, in Memphis, Tennessee, after a shooting at the Southeast Motel on Lamar Avenue. In the dark, early-morning hours, police were dispatched to the motel and found him gravely wounded; paramedics rushed him to Regional One Health, but he did not survive.
As the first details emerged, investigators worked to stitch together what happened in the moments before the shots.
Reports said witnesses told police that Davis had been outside talking with someone they knew as “KJ,” and that the person was armed and wearing a red hoodie. Surveillance video described in the reporting showed two people on the motel walkway before gunfire, and then a figure in a red hoodie running away as the scene erupted into chaos.
Just over a week later, authorities announced an arrest. Lakevion Benton was taken into custody and charged with first-degree murder, along with a separate charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun. Public posts about the booking information circulated online around the same time, reflecting the weapons-related charge connected to his custody.
In the days that followed, the story of the shooting gave way to the quieter aftermath of loss. Funeral home notices in Memphis recorded Davis’s death date and outlined services held in early February, marking the transition from a violent, sudden end at a motel off Lamar Avenue to a formal goodbye surrounded by family and community.
