LaQuincy Demontaye Martin Jr. was a fun-loving 14-year-old Black teenager with dreams of becoming a professional barber and a truck driver. Known to his loved ones as "Phat," he enjoyed playing basketball and video games, swimming, making TikToks, and spending time with his friends and family. In the summer of 2023, he was looking forward to starting high school.
On the afternoon of July 15, 2023, LaQuincy was at a swimming pool at the Residence at Village Green Apartments in the Hickory
Hill neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. According to police records, a group of nine people arrived at the complex in an Infiniti and a Dodge Charger. A woman from the group, identified as Ashantia Dillard, approached the pool and accused a person there of assaulting one of her family members. Moments later, a male suspect who had exited one of the cars carrying an AR-style rifle opened fire. LaQuincy and another person were struck by the gunfire.
LaQuincy’s mother, Tarasha Smith, later recalled receiving the most devastating call of her life, telling her that her son had been shot. Emergency services rushed LaQuincy to a hospital, but his injuries were too severe. His mother remembered a doctor telling her, "We did everything we can, but he is not going to make it." LaQuincy was pronounced dead.
The Memphis Police Department launched an investigation into the shooting. Investigators arrested Ashantia Dillard in connection with the incident. On July 25, 2023, police made a second arrest, taking a 15-year-old into custody for the murder. The Memphis Police Department identified the teen suspect as Jaquavious Dillard. Police noted that other individuals could also face charges.
"It is like he was at the wrong place at the wrong time," LaQuincy’s mother said of her son. Speaking about those responsible, she added, "You are wrong, for what you did my son, he did not deserve this. I just hope they suffer in jail." As of the arrests in July 2023, the case was proceeding through the legal system.
