MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A mother is searching for answers surrounding a deadly police car chase in Horn Lake that took place on May 6.
The two 26-year-olds, James Charleston and girlfriend Jasmine Cooper, were leaving a Horn Lake home after completing a food delivery order when the pursuit for them began.
Since the incident, Charleston’s mother, Kieunda Charleston, said she’d gotten nothing more than a run-around from Horn Lake and Southaven Police.
Her son James leaves behind four siblings, his grandmother and four-year-old son.
“It didn’t have to go like this,” Kieunda Charleston said. “[Horn Lake PD] could’ve took other measurements than to go on a chase and him and his girlfriend’s like is gone.”
Charleston said nothing prepared her to lose her child, especially not in a deadly car crash following a police chase.
“We spoke with Horn Lake today and the only think they keep saying is we have to ask Southaven,” Charleston said. “It’s always been Southaven versus Horn Lake, Horn Lake versus Southaven — we can’t get any answers.”
The Southaven Police Department initially posted a statement to their Facebook on Saturday with this line in it:
“The facts as we know them at this time are that Horn Lake Police Department was in pursuit of a stolen vehicle.”
They then edited the post on Sunday to remove the word “stolen” as further information revealed the car was not stolen.
“[We’re] getting an attorney involved to get the answers we need — the closure we need,” Charleston said. “That’s my first born, so just to hear he passed away because of the negligence of the police — it hurts.”
Not only is it hard for his mom to deal with, but his four-year-old son is now without a father.
Charleston’s mom said the Horn Lake Police Department then told her the pursuit began because he was speeding. Kieunda said, regardless of their reasoning, the chase should never have happened.
Now, she’s looking at next steps to ensure her family gets justice.
“He said ‘daddy, daddy broke his car and he’s dead,’” Charleston said. “So, that’s heartbreaking for a four-year-old to say that about his father.”
Kieunda Charleston is asking for the City of Horn Lake to ban police chases so no one else has to experience what she’s going through.
ABC24 reached out to the Horn Lake Police Department and went down to the station but no one in charge was available for a comment or statement.
The Southaven Police Department said they can not comment on the situation.