MEMPHIS, TN – Memphis police arrested 78-year-old Lewis Bynum on a first-degree murder charge after a man was shot and killed October 30 in the 800 block of Crockett Street, according to the Memphis Police Department.
Officers responded to a shooting call at about 4:35 p.m. They found a male victim with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified as Micheal Cook.
Officers detained Bynum at the scene. They found him on the street after neighbors disarmed him and held him down. Police said they learned Bynum and the victim had been in an altercation before the shooting. A witness is the one that identified Bynum as the shooter. According to that same witness, Bynum was at the scene demanding $6 that Cook owed him. When Cook refused to pay him back, Bynum began threatening him, ultimately pulling out a gun and shooting him. Once on the ground, Bynum fired several more times at Cook.
Charges
Bynum is charged with:
- First-degree murder
- Employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony
- Convicted felon in possession of a firearm
He remains in custody at the Shelby County Jail. Bond has not been set.
The department posted the arrest notice on Monday, November 2. The case number is 2610030325ME.
Readers can find more local coverage on the homicide topic page.
