MPD identifies second victim in Memphis Rox shooting
A view of the climbing walls inside Memphis Rox, a climbing facility and gym located in South Memphis. MPD has identified the second victim in a deadly double shooting at the nonprofit on June 29. (Houston Colfield/The Daily Memphian file)
The Memphis Police Department has confirmed the name of the second victim in a deadly double shooting in South Memphis on June 29.
Dejuan Taylor, 21, has been identified as one of two men killed in the shooting at the Memphis Rox climbing gym. Jarmond Johnson, 25, an employee at the local rock-climbing facility, was the other man killed.
According to police, the two men got into an argument inside the facility, and gunshots rang out. One died inside the business while the other was pronounced dead at a hospital.
MPD said in an emailed statement that Taylor is the suspect in the case, but the circumstances that led to the shooting, and who started it, are still under investigation. The department confirmed both men fired guns.
Farris Haley, 28, was arrested in connection with the incident June 30 and has been charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence and resisting official detention, according to online court records.
Haley was initially detained at the scene but “broke away,” according to an affidavit filed in his case.
“Farris Haley then reentered the crime scene, grabbed the pistol and fled,” the affidavit reads.
“Officer Jackson 15646 gave chase, and ordered Farris Haley to stop, but he did not. Officer Jackson observed Farris Haley throw the pistol into an awaiting vehicle and continue to flee. Officer Jackson was able to capture Farris, take him to the ground, and into custody.”
Johnson spoke to The Daily Memphian last year about how Memphis Rox helped steer him away from a life of crime.
Johnson, a former gang member, was also active in steering other young people away from the lifestyle.
“If it wasn’t for this place, I don’t know what would have happened to me,” he said. “Climbing? I didn’t know what climbing was. The only rocks I knew about were the pictures on beer cans or the rocks being sold on the corner. To come in here and see there was another way to live? This feels like a dream.”
Haley remains in custody on a $10,000 bond. He is set to appear in court July 3.
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Memphis Rox fatal shootingAarron Fleming
Aarron Fleming covers public safety for The Daily Memphian, focusing on crime and the local court system. He earned his bachelor’s in journalism and strategic media from the University of Memphis.
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