Man charged with double murder following shooting at Whitehaven restaurant
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The man accused of fatally shooting two people at a Whitehaven restaurant on Sunday is now in custody.
Memphis restaurant owner killed in Whitehaven shooting
According to the Memphis Police Department, 20-year-old Darion Banks is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, theft of property, evading arrest, and possession of a prohibited weapon.
On October 29, officers say they responded Downtown regarding a stolen vehicle. The victim stated his 2018 white Infiniti Q50 was stolen from the parking lot on Union Avenue.
Later that day, police say they responded to a shooting call on Elvis Presley Boulevard at Tha Table restaurant. A man, later identified as Tedarius Day, was found lying in the driver’s seat of a Chevy Cruze with gunshot wounds to the head.
He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Shots fired in front of Hickory Hill fire station, two injured
Police say another male victim, Alfonso Turner, was found lying on the ground suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Region One Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The white Infiniti was seen on video footage around the time of the shooting and leaving the scene, according to reports.
On October 30, officers say they saw the white Infiniti in Raleigh with a drive-out tag that was registered to another stolen vehicle.
1 dead, 2 injured in shootings on Elvis Presley Blvd
The driver in the Infiniti refused to stop when officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, reports state. That is when a vehicle pursuit began.
The Infiniti stopped at Kerwin Drive near New Allen Road and officers were then able to detain the driver Michael Shaffer and the passenger Darion Banks.
Officers say they found an AR 15 semi-auto pistol rifle, a Glock semi-auto handgun with a drum magazine, and a Glock switch or auto-sear, which converts a semi-auto handgun to a machine gun capable of fully automatic fire.
Shaffer and Banks were both arrested at that time.
Banks allegedly admitted to being present with other men in the stolen Infiniti when they attempted to break into a vehicle on Elvis Presley Boulevard on Sunday.
Banks stated that is when a man came outside to confront them and shot at them as they were leaving the scene. However, they returned to the business firing shots, which killed Day and Turner.
Banks also denied firing any shots and stated he was the driver of the Infiniti during the shooting, police say.
Darion Banks is scheduled to appear in court on November 1 at 9:00 a.m.
Michael Shaffer, 22, is charged with evading arrest and theft of property. He is also set to appear in court on November 1.
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