Three charged Friday in Prive shooting investigation identified in charging documents
The two men arrested by the Memphis Police Department for their alleged roles in a shooting at Prive, a Hickory Hill nightclub and restaurant with ties to Memphis rapper Yo Gotti, have been identified in charging documents. A third man has also been charged, MPD said in a Facebook post Tuesday afternoon.
Charges for two men were levied Friday, MPD Deputy Chief Paul Wright said in a press conference. Their names were not released, with Wright citing the ongoing investigation. Tuesday afternoon, MPD posted that Johnny Sanford, Kendrick Gray and Damone Sykes had been charged in the shooting.
Sanford, 36, faces one count of first-degree murder and one count of a convicted felon in possession of a handgun. In an affidavit, police say they developed Sanford as a suspect after they say they saw footage of him shooting one of the victims that later died at a hospital.
Sykes, 31, faces one count of criminal attempt of a felony, first-degree murder, possession of a firearm while committing a dangerous felony and robbery. Police say, in his affidavit, video footage showed "a second male, dressed in orange...taking a pistol from the victim by force, pointing it at the victim, and firing at the victim."
That victim was found dead at the scene.
MPD said that person wearing orange was identified as Sykes by a witness in a six-person lineup. The witness said he had brought Sykes to Prive, and that Sykes had been shot during the confrontation, and MPD said he is still being treated for those wounds.
Gray, 30, was charged with attempted first-degree murder, possession of a firearm while committing a dangerous felony and possession of a prohibited weapon. There is not an affidavit listed for him, and MPD said he is still being treated "for his injuries from this incident."
The shooting left two dead and five people— a 35-year-old man, 30-year-old man, 37-year-old man, 31-year-old man and 25-year-old woman — injured.
"The investigation revealed that there was a fight that started inside the business and spilled outside into the parking lot," Wright said in that Friday evening press conference. "Several subjects retrieved guns from their vehicles and gunfire was exchanged between these subjects."
Wright added that investigators believed the two dead victims were targeted, with the others being "bystanders that may have been struck by gunfire."
"It's sad that individuals resort to violence and firearm usage to resolve conflicts," Wright said. "This is happening too often in our city, and we're asking that people having these issues walk away from these issues. Walk away, because if you don't, you're going to end up dead."
Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Three men charged in Prive shooting identified, face murder charges
