Memphis shooting spree victims: Big-hearted friend, West Memphis nurse, among 4 dead

Laura Testino and Astrid Kayembe, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read
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The first victim in a deadly shooting spree that forced neighborhoods across Memphis into lockdown Wednesday was a father with a heart for community service.

The 19-year-old suspect came to purchase a plate of his food, according to a friend's account.

DeWayne Tunstall, 24, was shot and killed in Memphis early in the morning Wednesday, police said.

He is among four dead in the shootings that also left three others injured. One of the injured victims remained in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon, according to a spokesperson for Regional One hospital.

Marcus Cash stands outside the food truck he and his friend, Dewayne Tunstall, were planning on opening together Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, before Tunstall was killed in Memphis. Police say Ezekiel Kelly, 19, is responsible for the shooting along with seven others on Wednesday. Cash said he and Tunstall had been friends for six years and were planning on opening the business together. “Now, my other half gone to my business, my other part of my brain,” said Cash. He later added, “I’m tore up. I done cried all I can cry.”

'Our city is hurting': Memphis leaders react to deadly shooting spree with anger, sadness

More: How a 19-year-old's fatal shooting spree unfolded in Memphis, forcing citywide lockdown

Victims, identified by family, friends and law enforcement, are from across Memphis and the Mid-South.

Ezekiel Kelly drove several miles across Memphis and into north Mississippi, police said, in a daylong spree that moved quickly across the city Wednesday afternoon and evening.

DeWanye Tunstall, big-hearted father, friend

DeWayne Tunstall, 24, is a father and big-hearted friend.

He was shot and killed Wednesday in the first shooting event of the spree, after suspect Kelly came to purchase a plate of food.

Tunstall worked in construction. He was also working with his friend Marcus Cash on a bigger idea: The two wanted to launch a food truck.

A neighbor, who did not want to be named, walks over to hug Marcus Cash as he stands outside the house Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, where his friend Dewayne Tunstall was killed in Memphis. Police say Ezekiel Kelly, 19, is responsible for the shooting along with seven others on Wednesday. Cash said he and Tunstall had been friends for 6 years and were planning on opening a food truck together. “Now, my other half gone to my business, my other part of my brain,” said Cash. He later added, “I’m tore up. I done cried all I can cry.”

Called "Everybody Eats," the truck would be a community service on wheels, Cash told The Commercial Appeal, offering free meals to homeless people. Although not officially launched, they were cooking and selling food from the truck Wednesday, Cash said.

Thursday morning, he still talked about their friendship in present tense: "We sit down, we plot together, we talk we, we think about nothing but positive input."

A bullet hole is in the window of a bedroom in Marcus Cash’s home Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, in Memphis. Cash’s children, ages 8 months and 5 years, were falling asleep in the bedroom where the shots entered around midnight. Cash’s friend and business partner, Dewayne Tunstall, was killed in the shooting.
A bullet hole is in the window of a bedroom in Marcus Cash’s home Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, in Memphis. Cash’s children, ages 8 months and 5 years, were falling asleep in the bedroom where the shots entered around midnight. Cash’s friend and business partner, Dewayne Tunstall, was killed in the shooting.

Cash said his friend was generous and supportive, the embodiment of his "Everybody Eats" mentality. Tunstall has one daughter, and leaves behind a partner who is pregnant with another child.

"He didn't deserve this," Cash said. "His legacy will continue. And I want people to know who the person he really was."

Allison Parker, West Memphis nurse

Allison Parker, a nurse in West Memphis, Arkansas, is among the four dead.

A GoFundMe fundraiser for Parker's family describes her as a mother of three children. The children's father died two years ago, according to the fundraiser description.

A spokesperson for GoFundMe verified to The Commercial Appeal the company would "ensure the funds safely reach the Parker family."

Parker was a medical assistant at Family Practice Center of West Memphis.

"Please pray for her family and our entire office staff as we try to process this senseless loss," the office wrote in a social media post.

The city police department and Mayor Marco McClendon are holding a prayer at 5:30 p.m. Friday at City Hall, the police department said.

Astrid Kayembe covers South Memphis, Whitehaven and Westwood. She can be reached at astrid.kayembe@commercialappeal.com, (901) 304-7929 or on Twitter @astridkayembe_.

Laura Testino covers education and children's issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763. Find her on Twitter: @LDTestino

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis shooting victims: Father and West Memphis nurse among 4 dead