Memphis police charge man with murder of security guard
MEMPHIS, Tenn. May 17th 2022— Memphis police have arrested a man for his involvement in a shooting at a club in Orange Mound that took the life of a security guard last month.
At least three security guards were shot, one of them, now identified as Vincent Lasane Jr., died at the hospital.
When Arianna Lasane’s brother Vincent went to work his shift as a security guard at Club Memphis on Park Avenue, his family expected him to make it back home.
“A security job, most people it’s dangerous, you don’t think that’s where I am going to end my life and you don’t think I am going to go to work and that’s going to be it,” Arianna said.
Police said, on April 24, Donyale Lee and a group of men were escorted out of the club that night.
Witnesses told investigators once the group was outside, Lee made threats to shoot up the club and hurt the security guards.
Security video showed Lee and a few others from the group getting into a car parked across the street from the club. About a minute later, Lee’s vehicle drove by the club and someone was seen on camera firing from the vehicle towards the building.
The security camera also captured several others firing shots into the building and then jumping into Lee’s vehicle and firing more shots from the car.
“For a while, I thought my brother was going to become another black man in Memphis gunned down and wasn’t anything going to be done about it or anyone found about it,” Arianna said.
The other two men helped police identify Lee as one of the suspects.
Lee was taken into custody on Sunday and will have his first court appearance Monday.
“It was first tears of joy and excitement and thanking god and like I said right now it is a suspect. We don’t know if it is right or wrong. But we are praying for the better that the charges will stick,” Arianna said.
Lasane’s sister said she appreciates all the effort Memphis police put into making an arrest.
“I’m thinking it is a shootout. It’s people who got guns off on the streets so you will never find them, but for them to nail it down as close as it is and it hasn’t even been a full month yet and they have someone in custody,” she said.
No other arrests have been made.
Lee is being charged with murder and attempted murder.
