Share and Follow
Background: The intersection of East Dison Avenue and Carnegie Street in Memphis, Tennessee (Google Maps). Inset top: Verdell Pegues (Shelby County Sheriff”s Office). Inset bottom: Lashaunda Boyd (Serenity Funeral Home).
A Tennessee man has been accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and a companion, following a series of domestic violence incidents that occurred just days prior.
Verdell Pegues, 41, faces charges including two counts of first-degree murder, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, employing a firearm with intent to commit a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The victims of the shooting have been identified as Lashaunda Boyd, 36, and Jimmy Ford, 37, according to a report by Memphis’ CBS affiliate, WREG.
Shelby County court documents, as inspected by Law&Crime, reveal that Pegues is currently held on a $1 million bond.
Records indicate that on March 18, Boyd filed two police reports related to domestic violence against Pegues. She accused him of striking her in the face repeatedly on March 15, and two days later, allegedly pointing a 9 mm handgun at her while threatening, “If I can’t have you, no one can.”
On March 22, shortly before noon, Boyd and Ford were seen walking near the intersection of East Dison Avenue and Carnegie Street in Memphis. The Memphis Police Department reports that surveillance footage captured a man abruptly shooting the pair as they strolled along the sidewalk.
Boyd and Ford fell to the ground, and the suspect — later identified as Pegues — allegedly stood over each of them and fired the weapon again.
Officers reportedly responded to the scene to find the two shooting victims on the ground by the intersection with gunshot wounds. They found 9 mm cartridge casings on the ground nearby.
Boyd was pronounced dead at the scene; Ford was taken to an area hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, WREG reported.
Police spoke with witnesses, with multiple allegedly telling investigators that a man named “RaRa” was Boyd’s ex-boyfriend and was responsible for the killings. One witness said they saw “RaRa” shoot Ford and Boyd, and this witness later identified Pegues as the suspect to whom he was referring.
Pegues was arrested and had a video arraignment on Wednesday.