MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – Ja’Vonte Cooper, 19, was arraigned Monday in Shelby County Criminal Court on a charge of killing a man on Christmas morning.
In court, the judge made sure Cooper understood the charges and his right to hire an attorney; the family says it has retained Kevin Massey as Cooper’s attorney.
Memphis police said Cooper and another man argued at an Exxon gas station and the dispute escalated into gunfire. The other man died at the scene, and Cooper was taken into custody at a hospital.
Cooper faces second-degree murder and firearms charges and was held on $500,000 bond and due back in court on Wednesday…