MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A grand jury will hear one charge that remains against a woman accused in a shooting near the Uptown area that left another woman in critical condition in February.
Vernisha Liggins was originally charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and assault. During a court hearing on April 23, only a charge of reckless aggravated assault was sent to the grand jury. The others were dismissed "Nolle Prosequi." She is out of jail after posting $15,000 bond.
(Note regarding "Nolle Prosequi" dismissals from the Shelby County D.A.'s Office: "It is crucial to remember that a case's dismissal in general sessions does not necessarily indicate that it is concluded. A judge may dismiss a case in general sessions for several reasons but this does not preclude the DA’s Office from seeking an indictment.")
MPD officers responded to the shooting about 10:50 a.m. Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, at Danny Thomas and Alabama, just south of I-40. They said the woman who had been shot left the scene before officers got there and showed up at Regional One Hospital in a private vehicle, where she was listed in critical condition.
MPD said traffic northbound on Danny Thomas between Poplar Ave. and Alabama had been redirected for the investigation.
Investigators said the victim and suspect knew each other, and the shooting stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the two.
According to an affidavit, the victim told investigators that the two were having problems with each other because they were dating the same man. While they were arguing and then fighting at the intersection of Danny Thomas and Alabama, Liggins grabbed a gun from her car and shot the victim's right thigh, the victim said. Liggins then proceeded to kick the victim in the back of the head.
Liggins was positively identified in a six-person photographic lineup as the person responsible for the shooting and kicking, the affidavit said.
