Memphis High School Senior Fatally Shot Hours After Prom, Police Say

A teen successful Tennessee was shot dead astatine a state station, hours aft his precocious schoolhouse prom.

LaDainian Cathey, 18, was shot and killed around 1:30 a.m. extracurricular of a state position successful Memphis, pinch 2 suspects seen fleeing nan segment successful a achromatic Mercedes. Cathey was pronounced dormant astatine a section hospital, Action 5 News reported.

On Tuesday, Memphis Police Department said it had arrested and charged a 17-year-old successful relationship pinch nan shooting. The fishy has been charged pinch first-degree execution and perpetration of a robbery. No specifications concerning nan 2nd fishy person been made public.

Hours earlier nan shooting, Cathey’s mother, Lakeisha Johnson, posted photos of him wearing his tuxedo and sunglasses.

She posted a heartbreaking tribute to Cathey connected Facebook pursuing his death, saying her boy “had a awesome life” and that he was her “best friend.”

“I’m trying truthful difficult beryllium beardown ... that was my babe now each I sewage is memories this can’t beryllium real,” she wrote.

Southaven High School acknowledged Cathey's decease successful an email and offered support for grieving students.

“It is pinch awesome sorrow that we pass you of nan nonaccomplishment of 1 of our 12th-grade students. Your kid whitethorn beryllium alert of this tragedy. Our schoolhouse counselors and intelligence wellness therapists will beryllium connected field tomorrow to connection support and services," nan connection said. "We will proceed to supply support to our Charger Family passim nan week and successful nan future.”

Jaylon Dodson, 1 of Cathey's friends, told Action 5 News that nan teen was group to postgraduate adjacent month.

He said that his friend visited nan barber shop to show disconnected his tuxedo earlier prom and "walked retired smiling.”

“You ne'er cognize erstwhile it’s someone’s past day, so... I ain’t know, he ain’t know. He walked retired smiling, fresh to get successful his Benz and person a bully day,” Dodson told nan outlet.

Dodson useful arsenic a barber and trim his friend's hairsbreadth nan nighttime earlier nan prom, adding that his abrupt decease "still don't consciousness real."