MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After 18-year-old Myneishia Johnson was gunned down a week before she was set to graduate, students and faculty at Booker T. Washington High School are figuring out how they are going to honor her at graduation this Saturday.
“It’s been slow, I’m just tryin’ to make sure the kids are OK.”
Booker T. Washington basketball coach Steven McKinney said the team was meeting Monday evening to discuss how they plan to honor their beloved teammate.
“What we’re going to wear and getting her jersey, we’re going to retire her jersey and what we’re going to do for her son,” he said.
Booker T is also talking about having Johnson’s 1-year-old son accept her diploma on her behalf at Saturday’s graduation.
A vigil Sunday night showed Johnson was well-loved.
Police have released few details about a motive behind early Sunday morning’s shooting near Beale Street.
According to investigators, Kwasi Corbin opened fire on a large crowd with an assault rifle.
Two other men were shot, one of them being Courtney Abston. His mother said he’s recovering. She said she doesn’t know the suspect and said her son was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“He don’t do too much wrong, but I don’t know, I don’t know,” said Deena Abston.
According to family, a third victim, 22-year-old Williams, was shot in the arm. He should be out of the hospital soon, too.
“I was like, wow, he was just out enjoying himself,” said Darrick Dennis, a brother-in-law of Williams.
Police have released few details about the shooting, but it’s incidents like these that Delvin Lane from the 901 BLOC Squad is trying to stop. This case hits especially close to home for him. He worked with Johnson to help her change her life.
“She’s just a darling girl. To see her life turn around, headed to college,” said Lane.
Lane said he is now working to organize a peace march and will continue to work with rival groups to stop the violence.
This violence may already been a way of life for the suspect; WREG discovered the 19-year-old accused of opening fire in downtown Memphis with an assault rifle early Sunday morning has a criminal history.
Kwasi Corbin, 19, is accused of shooting into a crowd at Second Street and Beale around 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
According to police, a bullet struck Johnson. , who died from her injuries.
Two men, Abston and Deire Williams, are recovering in the hospital.
Johnson, known by friends as Shugnug, was a mother to a 1-year-old boy and was out celebrating her upcoming graduation from Booker T. Washington High School.
On Monday those who know Corbin weighed in on his arrest.
“Every time I watched the news and would see something about a robbery or a carjacking, I don’t know why Kwasi would always pop up on my mind,” said Shirley Mull.
Mull used to live by Corbin.
If you look at his public Facebook page, there are videos of him rapping with explicit language, holding a gun and calling himself ‘Kwasi the shooter.’
He is also seen flashing wads of cash.
“I wasn’t expecting him to go to jail. I was more or less in my heart seeing Kwasi getting killed for some of the things you out here in the street doing,” said Mull.
Mull said she tried to mentor Corbin but felt it was a lost cause.
“Just stay in school. Stop all this stuff.”
WREG learned Corbin had several warrants out for his arrest.
According to police records, in September he attacked a boy he was playing basketball with and threatened to shoot him.
Corbin was also wanted for a domestic assault charge from March.
Mull said he had other run-ins.
“He got shot last year. He got shot in the eye.”
Corbin posted a picture of the incident on his Facebook page.
Monday morning Corbin appeared before a Shelby County judge. Other neighbors who know him said they feel a little safer he’s off the streets.
“He used to stay right there. Could’ve been one of my kids. Could’ve been outside, could’ve been shootin’ bullets go everywhere,” said Kyle Walton, a former neighbor.
Corbin does not have a bail and is set to appear before a judge on May 31.