Kemi Bacon

In the early hours of Labor Day, September 2, 2019, the life of Kemi Bacon was tragically ended in Memphis, Tennessee. The 17-year-old Black female was with a group of friends when a decision made at a gas station set off a fatal chain of events.

Around 3 a.m., Kemi was a passenger in a car that pulled into a service station at South Perkins and Knight Arnold. An 18-year-old man who was with her group attempted to steal a white Infiniti that had been left parked with its motor running. The car’s owner, 24-year-old Lakendrick Bunting, was inside the convenience store and saw the attempted theft. He came out of the store and began shooting at the young man, who immediately abandoned the effort, ran back to the car he arrived in, and fled with his friends.

Bunting did not let it go. He got into his own car and pursued the other vehicle, firing more shots as he chased them. One of the bullets struck Kemi. A short time later, she was found lying on the roadside in the 4100 block of Cochese Avenue. Emergency responders rushed her to a hospital in critical condition, but she did not survive her injuries.

During the police investigation, Bunting admitted to shooting at the fleeing car but claimed that someone in that vehicle had shot at him first. The other passengers in the car with Kemi told investigators that they only returned fire after Bunting had already started shooting at them as they drove away.

Lakendrick Bunting was arrested in connection with the shooting. A grand jury later formally indicted him on charges of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, and six counts of employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony. As of his indictment, the case was being handled by the Shelby County District Attorney's Office and was awaiting further court proceedings.