A Sunday family drive home ended in fatal gunfire in Memphis on February 4, 2024. Paula Appleberry, 54, of Horn Lake, Mississippi, was driving her daughter and three grandchildren after a birthday party when their vehicle was struck by multiple bullets in the Orange Mound neighborhood. Her daughter, 25-year-old Tierney Irby, urged Appleberry to speed away, not knowing Appleberry had already been hit. The car later left the road and struck a pole; Paula Appleberry died at the scene. A two-year-old grandson was wounded by the shooting and was expected to recover, and Irby was injured in the crash.

Family described the killing as senseless and possibly a case of mistaken identity, noting Appleberry’s license plate read GODS#1FAN and remembering her as a devout, loving woman and General Electric coworker whose smile brightened a room. If anyone witnessed the shooting, the vehicle before it was hit, or has other information, please share what was seen.