A Tennessee woman was arrested after authorities say she was involved in the fatal shooting of a man she believed to be her ex-boyfriend.
Kiauna Newsom, 29, was charged with first-degree murder in connection to the March 2 incident.
Memphis police officers responded to a local residence on the 5400 block of Apple Blossom Drive just before 2 a.m., according to authorities and an affidavit from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office obtained by Law & Crime.
Law enforcement discovered the unresponsive victim, identified as George Harris, who was shot several times inside a parked vehicle described as a Chevy Malibu. He was transported to a local hospital and died from his injuries.
During their investigation, officials learned from Newsom’s ex-boyfriend that he let Harris borrow his car, and he “believed that he was the intended target,” the outlet reported. The man also noted that he got into a verbal dispute with Newsom at a local store.
“[The ex-boyfriend] loaned his car to Harris and advised that a short time later, he received a phone call that Harris had been shot,” the affidavit, in part, alleged. “Video from the store at Kirby and Shelby showed that Kiauna Newson was wearing a white V-neck shirt and driving a gray Nissan a short time before the murder.”
As People reported, detectives were able to track down the Nissan in the driveway of a residence. Officials took Newsom into custody the following day, and while speaking to police, she confessed to being the driver behind the wheel of the car.
Newsom said she and an alleged male accomplice, Justin Howard, trailed the ex-boyfriend’s vehicle, per the outlet. She claimed Howard pulled out a rifle and opened fire, ultimately killing Harris.
According to the report, after Howard was arrested, Newsom selected him out of a lineup. The 32-year-old was hit with the exact charges as Newsom.
“Arguments turning into gunfights and shootings as opposed to conflict resolution,” Chief CJ Davis said at a town hall referring to the gun violence in the area.
