Marshon Black, a 24-year-old Black man, was killed on July 11, 2023, in the Westwood area of Memphis, Tennessee, after gunfire erupted at a private residence on Melwood Street. In the heat of the afternoon, officers were dispatched to the 4300 block around 2:33 p.m. and found him wounded. He was rushed to Regional One Hospital in critical condition, but despite the desperate race for help, he later died from his injuries.
In the first hours after the shooting, the scene was marked by uncertainty and unanswered questions. Police indicated there was no suspect information available at the time, leaving only the address, the time, and the lingering shock of a life ending inside a neighborhood home.
The next day, investigators said the violence was not random, but planned. Police arrested Parron Hooker and accused him of being part of a set-up that turned a marijuana purchase into a robbery and a killing. According to police, Hooker was inside the home when the shooting unfolded, and they allege he arranged for Black to be targeted while Black was there to buy marijuana.
Police said that after Hooker entered the residence and bought marijuana, other suspects came into the home and demanded Black’s money. Investigators allege the suspects then shot him and fled, leaving with his money as they escaped the house. Hooker was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated robbery, while the other suspects referenced by police were not publicly identified in the same report, and no additional arrests were described there.
Booking information published after the arrest listed Hooker as 23 at the time he was booked in Shelby County on July 12, 2023, and reflected the first-degree murder charge associated with the case.
