Rashid Tony Awwad, a man remembered by friends as beautiful, funny, and loving, was 27 years old and the father of three children. Known to many as "Tony," he worked with cell phones at a Boost Mobile store in Memphis, Tennessee. His life was cut short on the evening of May 15, 2017, in a burst of violence that began with a customer dispute.
That day, an argument broke out inside the store on Winchester Road over a cell phone repair. The conflict involved Awwad and a group of individuals, including a man Awwad eventually asked to leave the premises. He reportedly told the group to return the next day for the phone, specifying that the man he had ejected was not to come back. Not long after the group left, around 6:20 p.m., Awwad stepped outside for a cigarette break.
Witnesses reported that Awwad was briefly talking with three men outside the store when the situation escalated fatally. One of the men, later identified as 22-year-old Damon Johnson, pulled out a gun.
Johnson was part of the group that had been in the store earlier. He shot Awwad multiple times before fleeing the scene with his companions. The storefront was left riddled with at least six bullet holes. Witnesses saw people running from the area as the gunshots rang out, with the suspects reportedly heading toward the New Horizon Apartments across the street.
As emergency responders flooded the parking lot with flashing blue lights, friends and community members gathered, shocked by the news. One friend, Tiffany Phillips, who had just seen Awwad, expressed her disbelief to a local news crew. "He was real nice," she said. "He's a nice guy. I don't understand. Who would want to do this to him?" Awwad was rushed to a hospital in extremely critical condition, but he did not survive his injuries.
The Memphis Police Department quickly launched a homicide investigation. Their work led to the arrest of Damon Johnson just a few days later. In September 2017, a grand jury indicted Johnson on a charge of second-degree murder for Awwad's death. Investigators determined that the shooting was the culmination of the argument that had started inside the Boost Mobile store.
In October 2019, a Shelby County jury found Damon Johnson guilty of second-degree murder. The court subsequently sentenced him to 24 years in prison for the killing. Johnson later appealed his conviction, arguing against the sufficiency of the evidence and alleging errors by the trial court. In April 2021, the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals reviewed the case and affirmed the judgment of the trial court, ensuring Johnson would serve his sentence.
Rashid Awwad is remembered by his loved ones as a man who will be missed and is loved by many. The case, which moved from a senseless argument to a fatal shooting and finally to a long-term prison sentence, highlights the tragic consequences of gun violence that left a family without a father and a community mourning a friend. The investigation is closed, with the perpetrator convicted and sentenced.
