In a tragic incident in northwest Memphis on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024 , Paula Appleberry, 54, of Horn Lake , Mississippi , lost her life in a hail of gunfire while driving her grandkids home from a birthday party.
According to Tierney Irby, who was a passenger in the car and Appleberry’s daughter , the vehicle, carrying two children and a 7-month-old baby , was struck by gunshots, leading to a chaotic sequence of events.
“I just hear gunshots. And I said, ‘Go mama, go! Speed up, let’s get out of here,’” Irby recounted to a local media outlet. “I felt her speed up. I didn’t realize that she had been hit already. So while we were speeding up, we also were going off road and that’s when we ended up hitting the pole.”
Tragically, Appleberry succumbed to her injuries at the scene, while three children and a 25-year-old woman sustained injuries in the shooting and subsequent crash .
Family members, coworkers from General Electric, and community members gathered to mourn Appleberry’s passing at a balloon release in Mississippi.