Security guard in Main Event shooting wasn’t licensed, records show
UPDATE, July 25: WREG discovered that there is surveillance video of the incident. According to reports, prosecutors shared the video in court with the victim’s family and the defense. It was never viewed publicly.
We spoke to the victim’s son who says Redmon was Lewis’ supervisor, and the family knew him personally.
Lewis’ bond was waived Thursday. He is set to appear in court on August 8 for a preliminary hearing.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A security guard accused of killing another security guard at Main Event made his first court appearance Wednesday morning.
Richard Lewis is charged with Class A First-Degree Murder. That carries life without parole, life with the possibility of parole, or the death penalty, according to Judge Karen Massey.
WREG checked with the state of Tennessee and could not find an active armed security guard license for Lewis. His license expired at the end of February, and the state gave him 90 days to reapply.
‘I had to do it’: Main Event security guard shot co-worker twice in head, witnesses say
On June 17, he applied for his license to be reinstated, but he did not provide the necessary documents, specifically when it came to training.
Police say Lewis, 44, shot James Redmond, a fellow security guard at Main Event, in the head, killing him. The two had known each other for several years.
Lewis reportedly shot Redmon after an argument about the use of the metal detector on people entering the business Monday evening.
According to an affidavit, Lewis told his general manager “He came at me, and I had to do it”.
Moments before the shooting, Lewis reportedly told another coworker that if Redmon “walks up on me, I’m gonna blow his [expletive] off”.
Security guard dead after shooting at Main Event; man detained
The state has now opened a complaint and is investigating Lewis’ license case.
Redmond was licensed as a security guard.
We reached out to Dave and Busters, which owns Main Event, and they sent the following statement:
“We were shocked and saddened at what had occurred at our Memphis Main Event location. We have extensively reviewed our safety and security procedures and have exhaustively analyzed these processes with our security vendor partner to ensure an incident like this never occurs again in the future. Our primary concern is for the safety and well-being of our guests and employees. We continue to cooperate with law enforcement during the investigation.”
We tried speaking to Redmon’s family after the hearing, but they told us they were not ready to talk just yet.
Lewis is due back in court tomorrow morning for a bond hearing.
We asked Dave and Busters for the name of their security vendor, but they have not responded to that request.
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