A celebratory trunk party in Douglass, North Memphis, ended in deadly violence on the night of August 8, 2026. Dr. Shandrika Hayslett, 34, was at a large neighborhood send-off on Brookins Street for a cousin leaving for college when a fight among some attendees escalated into gunfire. Hayslett, an innocent bystander, was struck and later died after being rushed to a hospital. Four other people, ages 27 to 42, were wounded and hospitalized; homes and vehicles nearby were also hit by gunfire.

The Memphis Police Department reported the shooting grew out of a prior conflict among some attendees rather than being random. Investigators identified three suspects; within hours of warrants being issued, two 25-year-old men, Naskial Wilson and Damion Thomas, were arrested in Arlington by the MPD Fugitive Unit. They were charged with first-degree murder in Hayslett’s death and a range of related felonies, including six counts of attempted first-degree murder, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.

Dr. Hayslett had recently earned her doctorate in May and was remembered by friends and family as an inspiration and a proud product of her community. Did anyone at the gathering or nearby that night see details that could help investigators clarify who fired the shots?