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The tip to CrimeStoppers was received by phone on July 24, suggesting drugs were being sold out of a neat rental bungalow in the 600 block of Whiteside Cove near East Shelby Drive in Whitehaven.
A surveillance by narcotics detectives soon proved they were watching individuals of interest in an ongoing gang investigation. A search warrant was obtained and three men were arrested in the house, along with a significant haul of drugs, weapons and other items. Officers recovered:
∙Six firearms, including two stolen handguns and an AR-style rifle, plus a conversion device turning a handgun into a dangerous automatic weapon.
∙Assorted ammunition for guns and rifles, and several pistol magazines
∙Three pounds of marijuana and 150 pills of various kinds.
∙Currency worth $1,500 and a cash-counting machine.
∙Two illegal vehicle programmers and four key fobs.
Police jailed Jerome Davis, 30, on multiple charges, including seven counts of being a convicted felon in possession of guns; Antwan Davis, 26, on several charges including a felon in possession of guns; Caleb Wade, 21, on possession of a firearm during commission of a dangerous felony, and other charges. All three men had long histories of felony criminal charges on the books.
The MPD said it “remains committed to disrupting gang-related criminal activity and removing illegal firearms and narcotics from our neighborhoods.”
Discretely paid in $100 bills by CrimeStoppers to the citizen who provided the original tip: $800.
Three tipsters earn $4,000 apiece
in July for ID-ing murder suspects
CrimeStoppers tips helped law enforcement solve 5 homicide cases during the month of July. Three provided identifications of suspects (cash awards worth $12,000) and two helped police locate murder suspects who were at large, another $1,000 awarded.
So far this year, 17 tips have led to that many homicide charges and arrests.
On June 25, Memphis Police officers responded to a report of a shooting at 784 Ioka. They arrived to find a young male suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to Regional One hospital where he later died from his injuries.
A citizen provided the name of Jetarius Young. He was positively identified in a photo lineup by a witness to the shooting and a warrant was issued. Young is sought by authorities as we go to print.
Another case occurred July 12 at Paradise Lounge on Winchester. A security guard removed a man later identified as Dewaun Harris for fighting. After he was forced to leave, he pulled a weapon and shot and killed the guard.
A tipster identified Harris to police. Another tipster later provided the location of his hideout.
A juvenile was identified in a murder that took place November, 2025 on Egypt Central Road near the airport.
In March CrimeStoppers got a tip saying Kenneth Riley, 16, committed the killing. The tipster said Riley drove around with the body for a time, then hid the body under plywood in a shed across the street where he lived. Police found the information to be accurate.
Riley was arrested and taken to Juvenile Court.
20 months after a shooting death tip
a suspect gets a stiff prison sentence
On November 27, 2024, two men arranged a drug sale through Facebook and met the victim, Gary Keefer, on West Burdock Avenue.
When the meeting occurred, defendants Deangelo Miller and Kenneth Malone tried to rob Keefer. There was a struggle over a bag and then Keefer was shot. He stumbled to his car and attempted to drive away, crashing into a utility pole. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators identified the two men through CrimeStoppers tips plus social media evidence and a witness. Miller and Malone were scheduled to stand trial this month on first degree murder and aggravated robbery charges. Miller decided to plead guilty to second-degree murder and robbery and received an “out-of-range” or above guidelines sentence of 26 years at 100 percent for murder and eight years at 85 percent for robbery, to be served concurrently.
Malone still faces trial by jury at this time.
The Assistant District Attorney prosecuting the case is Alexander Stephenson.
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