MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The two children who were killed in a double shooting in Hickory Hill have been identified by the Memphis Police Department.
The 6-year-old has been identified as Ashlynn Lucket and the 16-year-old as Lequan Boyd.
Both children were shot at a home on Kirby Mills Cove just before 9 p.m. Monday and rushed to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital with critical injuries.
Authorities said they do not know who may be responsible for the now-fatal shooting, but this appears to be a drive-by shooting.
Upon learning of the children’s deaths, Collierville Schools, where the two children were enrolled, released the following statement:
“It is with tremendous sadness that Collierville Schools announces the tragic deaths of two children enrolled in our district. In the past few hours, Collierville High School sophomore Lequan Dequez Boyd and his niece, Sycamore Elementary School first grader Ashlynn Denaé Luckett, both succumbed to gunshot injuries suffered on Monday in an apparent drive-by shooting in Memphis. To their families, we offer our sincerest condolences. Our crisis response team has begun offering necessary support to affected students and employees in our schools, and they will continue to do so for as long as necessary. Collierville Schools will cooperate fully with law enforcement officials in the hope that those responsible for these violent acts will be brought to justice and no longer allowed to threaten or endanger others. We echo the appeal for anyone with information pertaining to this tragedy to call CrimeStoppers of Memphis and Shelby County at 901-528-2274.”
Parents picking up their kids Wednesday evening at Collierville High School said it’s been tough for everyone. The school district said they are fully cooperating with law enforcement, and they are offering support to any student or staff member needs it.
“To look at my girls and know that I can hold them, you got to think about the parents that won’t see their kids again, and it’s most likely over something stupid,” Collierville High parent Andre Maxwell said. “There’s so much gun violence going on in the city. Somebody needs to step up and do something.”
The children’s grandmother lives on Echo Cove in Collierville. She was too upset to talk to a WREG reporter on Tuesday, but a neighbor said a few days ago, her car was shot up, and he can’t help but wonder if the two incidents are connected.
Collierville Police confirmed the neighbor’s story, saying that on Jan. 15, CPD responded to a shots fired call on Echo Cove. They said, according to information they received, someone drove into the cove and fired one round at a vehicle sitting in a driveway with two boys, a 16-year-old and a 1-year-old, inside.
A 17-year-old boy was identified as a suspect in the Collierville incident and has been charged with two counts of reckless endangerment, police said. The case is being handled through Juvenile Court.
The Hickory Hill incident was the second time in two days where a child was the victim of a shooting in Memphis. Ten-year-old Jadon Knox was shot and killed Sunday night in Orange Mound while playing in his front yard.
Memphis Police said they’ve received dozens of tips related to the double shooting, but no arrest has been made. Anyone with information on the shooting should call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH.