The family of Jarveon Hudspeth is seeking answers about the moments that led a Shelby County deputy to fatally shoot the 21-year-old. Hudspeth passed away on June 24 after a traffic stop escalated into an altercation.
As explained by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the deputy was performing an “enforcement action” on a parked car in north Memphis’ Raleigh community. Both men were outside Hudspeth’s vehicle when an altercation broke out. At some point, the young man reentered the car and attempted to flee the scene.
The deputy, still locked between the driver’s side door and the car, was then dragged about 100 yards down the road before firing a single lethal shot, reports ABC 24. Hudspeth, unconscious at the time, crashed. He was transported to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said the deputy is in critical condition at Regional One Health Hospital.
The TBI and the Justice Review Unit are reviewing the incident along with the footage from the deputy’s bodycam and patrol vehicle. Hudspeth’s family, however, claims it has not been given any updates.
“It’s been five days today. I’ve heard not one thing from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department. I’ve heard not one thing from anyone. The only thing I’ve heard about my son was the criminal activity. My son was never into anything criminal,” said Charlotte Haggett, the young man’s mother, during a press conference held on Friday (June 30). Her son’s tragic passing has been compared to the heinous police killing of Tyre Nichols.
As previously reported by REVOLT, Nichols was viciously beaten within inches of his life by a group of Memphis police officers on the night of Jan. 7. He was feet away from his parents’ home when the brutal ambush took place. He died days later from his severe injuries at the age of 29.
“As the wound of Tyre Nichols’ death is still healing for Memphis, it is unthinkable that another family now has to live with the pain of losing a young man because of the actions of local police. In order to figure out what caused this traffic stop to escalate to Jarveon losing his life, we demand that local and state law enforcement are transparent and communicative with the family,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump in a statement released on Friday (June 30).
“The family and community must promptly see the footage of what exactly happened during this traffic stop as they cope with the incredible loss of this young man who had a promising future ahead of him,” he continued. Crump is also representing Nichols’ family in a $550 million civil suit against the city and those involved in his death.