A remembrance gathering on Beale Street in Memphis turned deadly in the early morning hours of April 10, 2022. Taquan Smith, 26 and a father of five, was leaving The Green Room with relatives at about 2 a.m. when an argument with another group escalated into a chaotic exchange of gunfire near a police substation. Three Memphis officers fired at one person during the incident. When the shooting ended, Smith was found fatally wounded and pronounced dead at the scene; two other people were injured and listed in critical but stable condition, and one injured man was taken into custody that night.

Smith’s family retained an attorney who questioned security practices on Beale Street and asked why weapons searches had not been continuous. The attorney said an autopsy had been completed and that at least one arrest had been made; the Memphis Police Department said no arrests had been made. The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was not called because there was no evidence suggesting Smith was struck by a police officer’s bullet. The investigation remains open as the family seeks answers.

If anyone witnessed the shooting or has information or video from Beale Street that night, please share what you know.