Man Indicted in Double Homicide

Jan. 28, 2022 – A 29-year-old man has been indicted in a drive-by shooting last year in North Memphis in which two men in a parked car were killed by multiple gunshots, said Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich. 

    Jacquez Howell was indicted on two counts of first-degree murder, theft of property over $10,000, and intentionally evading arrest in an automobile. He is being held without bond.

   The shooting occurred shortly before 5 p.m. on Sept. 13, 2021, in the 2200 block of Eldridge Ave. when a dark Nissan stopped in the middle of the street and numerous shots were fired from the passenger side.   

   The shots struck a nearby red Pontiac and the two men seated in the vehicle, identified as Courtney Riley, 31, and Mario Moore Jr., 23, both of Memphis. Police gathered at least 32 spent shell casings from the scene.

    Two days later, police spotted Howell driving the Nissan, pulled him over after a chase, and eventually caught him after he exited the car and ran from officers. The car was stolen two months earlier in the 6100 block of Poplar. 

   The case is being prosecuted by Senior Felony Asst. Neil Umsted of the District Attorney’s Vertical Team 3 which handles cases in General Sessions Division 11 and in Criminal Court Division 3.