Memphis rapper Sayso P, whose legal name was Latorian Hunt, died on March 22, 2025, after being shot outside the Westin Memphis Beale Street hotel in downtown Memphis. He was 27. Police called the attack a targeted ambush. Houston rapper Sauce Walka, standing with him at the time, was wounded in the leg and survived. One of the two suspects was later found shot to death in Houston; the other was arrested in October 2025 and is awaiting grand jury proceedings in Shelby County.1Commercial Appeal. Sayso P, Sauce Walka Downtown Memphis Shooting
How the Shooting Happened
It was just before 2:45 p.m. on a Saturday. Hunt and Sauce Walka were standing beside a black SUV on Lt. George W. Lee Avenue, near FedExForum, when a white sedan pulled up across the street. Surveillance footage later obtained by TMZ showed three men getting out. Two ran toward the SUV and opened fire without a word. A third stayed by the car, armed.2FOX13 Memphis. TMZ Video Shows Moments Sauce Walka, Sayso P Were Shot in Downtown Memphis
Hunt was hit and fell behind the SUV. He was pronounced dead at the scene.3FOX 26 Houston. Sauce Walka, Sayso P Shooting Suspect Jayden Dandridge Houston Homicide Sauce Walka fled the scene with a leg wound and was taken to Regional One hospital in non-critical condition. The gunmen drove off in what turned out to be a stolen white Dodge Charger, which police recovered soon afterward. Combined with downtown surveillance video, the car gave investigators their first solid leads.4FOX13 Memphis. Police Identify Suspect in Murder of Memphis Rapper Sayso P, Shooting of Sauce Walka
Memphis Police Assistant Chief Don Crowe said the shooting was a “targeted attack” and “not a random act of violence,” and that early investigation indicated the victims and suspects were known to each other.1Commercial Appeal. Sayso P, Sauce Walka Downtown Memphis Shooting No official motive has been made public.
The Two Suspects
Within days, Memphis police named 21-year-old Jayden Dandridge as the primary suspect. A warrant charged him with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two firearm counts, and auto theft tied to the stolen Charger.4FOX13 Memphis. Police Identify Suspect in Murder of Memphis Rapper Sayso P, Shooting of Sauce Walka He was never taken into custody. On March 27, 2025, five days after the Memphis shooting, Dandridge was found shot several times behind the former Macy’s at the abandoned Greenspoint Mall in Houston. Houston police ruled his death a homicide.5Action News 5. New Details Emerge in Death of Sayso P Murder Suspect in Houston No suspects in his killing have been identified, and no official link to retaliation has been publicly confirmed.
The second suspect, 23-year-old Kevin “KJ” Brown Jr., was charged on March 26, 2025, with first-degree murder, two firearm counts, and theft of property.6Action News 5. Marshals Arrest Suspect for Murder of Rapper Sayso P He stayed on the run for close to seven months. On October 22, 2025, U.S. Marshals with the Middle District of Tennessee Fugitive Task Force and the Memphis SAFE Task Force arrested him without incident at a motel on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard in Clarksville, Tennessee.7U.S. Marshals Service. Unmatched Reach: Memphis Safe Task Force Delivers Justice for Victims
Where the Criminal Case Stands
After extradition to Shelby County, a judge set Brown’s bond at $2 million.8FOX13 Memphis. Sayso P Murder Suspect Given $2 Million Bond A preliminary hearing on December 5, 2025, ran three hours and included testimony from ten witnesses along with what the court described as “extensive video evidence.” The judge ordered the case held to the state, sending it forward to a Shelby County grand jury. Brown’s charges at that stage were first-degree murder, two counts of criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder, and additional offenses.9Shelby County District Attorney’s Office. Case Update: Kevin Brown Preliminary Hearing
As of the most recent reporting in early 2026, no formal indictment has been publicly announced and no trial date has been set. Brown remains in custody.10Action News 5. Case Against Accused Killer of Rapper Sayso P Heads to Grand Jury
Who Sayso P Was
Latorian Hunt grew up in Memphis and drew heavily on Houston hip-hop. He signed with Sauce Walka’s label, The Sauce Factory, also known as Sauce Familia.11Commercial Appeal. Memphis Rapper Shooting: Who Are Sayso P, Sauce Walka His best-known tracks included “Backdoor” in 2023 and “Hefner” in 2024. His final release, “Free One Punch,” came out on January 20, 2025, about two months before he died.
In the months before the shooting, Hunt had moved to Miami and opened his own recording studio, Rotation Music Studio. He was in Memphis for the weekend when he was killed. Neither he nor Sauce Walka had a show scheduled in the city.12FOX13 Memphis. Mother of Slain Memphis Rapper Sayso P Speaks on Son’s Legacy, Death
What the Family and Sauce Walka Have Said
Hunt’s mother, Latoya Redwing-Buckmaster, called him her “best friend” and said he “definitely didn’t deserve it.” She told reporters she had “begged him don’t go there” before the trip to Memphis. She also questioned whether the two named suspects acted alone, telling WREG: “I want to know who sent them… These boys didn’t do this on their own.”13WREG. Mom Wants Answers After Miami Rapper Gunned Down in Memphis Dandridge’s death in Houston before he could be questioned, she said, made those answers harder to reach. She has said she plans to start a foundation for mothers who have lost children to violence and for at-risk youth.
Sauce Walka, who recovered from his leg wound, spoke about the shooting in an interview with Wikid Films. He said he “put himself in the wrong place” and that “retaliation” would not be “richeous.”3FOX 26 Houston. Sauce Walka, Sayso P Shooting Suspect Jayden Dandridge Houston Homicide Police have said only that the attack was targeted and that the victims and suspects knew each other. Beyond that, the reason for the shooting remains publicly unexplained.