Background: A section of the 2700 block of Ketchum Place in Memphis, Tenn. (Google Maps). Inset: Ladarrius Payne (GoFundMe).
While on vacation to celebrate her birthday, a woman received the devastating news that her teenage son had been killed by a family member in Tennessee.
Jaquisha Beasley identified the victim as her 13-year-old son, Ladarrius Payne, who tragically lost his life in a shooting earlier this month. According to the Memphis Police Department, a 15-year-old has been charged with reckless homicide in connection with the incident.
The accused teenager is reportedly the son of Beasley’s brother, adding a painful layer to the family tragedy.
The incident unfolded on May 17, around 5:45 p.m., when police were called to the 2700 block of Ketchum Place in Memphis following reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers discovered Ladarrius suffering from a gunshot wound.
Sadly, he was declared dead at the scene, leaving a family grappling with an unimaginable loss.
Beasley said in a GoFundMe that she was in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the time celebrating her birthday, which was the day before. “I received the worst news a mother could ever receive,” she wrote.
“Nervous, shocked, and confused, I hit the highway wishing I could make it back to my son, Ladarrius,” the mother added. “He was in 7th grade at Memphis Academy of Science & Engineering, an honors student, and also played on multiple football teams. My son’s life was taken away due to gun violence… I would never imagine losing a child.”
Beasley said that because the investigation is still going on, she has been given scant details. However, family members told local NBC affiliate WMC that the defendant is Beasley’s nephew.
“You just don’t understand how it can go this way,” Kenna Miller, Beasley’s older sister, said, adding that their family is broken. “It’s kind of like two lives. I lost my nephew, my sister’s son, and I lost my other nephew really because we don’t know how his outcome is going to be.”
Beasley said she and her children were searching for a house in recent weeks and “finally found one and were in the process of bidding on it.”
Everything has now changed.
“I had to pause everything because I had to use our house money to pay for my son’s funeral,” she said in the fundraiser. “At this moment, my three children and I are staying with family members.”
The 15-year-old’s name has not been released.