Man killed walking dog in Highland Heights had 'beautiful smile'
Katie Fretland
Memphis police were investigating the death of a man Friday morning in the area of Powell Avenue and Holmes Street north of Summer.
Authorities received a call at 7:34 a.m. and a man said his friend was lying in the street. The victim had been shot and was pronounced dead at the scene, said Memphis police spokesman Louis Brownlee.
No one was in custody and the investigation was ongoing.
Family identified him as 23-year-old Joshua Pugh, known as Juicy.
"He had a beautiful smile and a beautiful heart," said his mother SheRhonda Coleman.
"Josh was a loving, caring person. He loved his mother. He loved me."
Pugh always helped her through her doctor's appointments as she battled cancer, she said.
"He was right there by my side," she said.
Family said Pugh had his dog with him walking and the dog was also shot and wounded. His friend discovered Pugh's body. A neighbor, 22-year-old Artavious Bonds, said he heard a few shots around 11:45 p.m. and woke up Friday morning to the crime scene outside.
Pugh's death comes during a violent year in Memphis. His death was the 226th homicide. Pugh's family said he had some criminal history. According to court records, Pugh had been convicted of domestic assault, animal cruelty and possession of marijuana.
Sitting in his grandmother's living room Friday, his family remembered how he loved his two little brothers. He did factory work and had a forklift license, his grandmother said.
"He didn't deserve to get shot," said his grandmother Lizzie Coleman.
Coleman said she will be haunted by seeing her grandson on the ground dead.
"God, why do you do this to me?" she asked.
A crowd of about 25 people gathered around the crime scene on Friday morning as police investigated.
"I think there's a snake somewhere around here in the neighborhood," said Issiah Langford, 28. "Somebody watching people. I don't know who it is but it ain't safe around here."
"He was still a baby," Langford said of the young victim.
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