Police say a child fired the gun on East Shelby Drive as relatives now prepare for Ashley Kimmons’ funeral.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis family is grieving the loss of 33-year-old Ashley Kimmons after police said she was fatally shot Friday afternoon in an accidental shooting involving a child at a business on East Shelby Drive near Riverdale Road.
Kimmons’ death has left relatives trying to piece together how an ordinary family gathering became a fatal shooting. The case drew attention first as a brief police report about a woman killed when a gun discharged accidentally. In the days since, the story has shifted to the family’s loss, the unanswered question of how the gun was within reach of a child, and the emotional fallout for Kimmons’ children and her mother as Memphis police continue to investigate.
Police were called to the shooting scene at about 2:53 p.m. Friday on East Shelby Drive near Riverdale Road in southeast Memphis. Officers arrived to find Kimmons with a gunshot wound, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Early reports from local television stations described the case as an accidental shooting involving a child. The shooting happened in or near a vehicle outside a business, according to follow-up reports, though investigators had not publicly released a full reconstruction of the moments before the gun fired. In later coverage, relatives identified the victim as Kimmons and described the day as one that had already carried family meaning because it coincided with her daughter’s birthday celebration. Her mother, Carolyn Hamer, told WREG that learning of her daughter’s death was devastating, especially because much of the first information reached family members in fragments as the news spread.
Investigators have said the shooting was accidental, but several important details remain unclear. Police have not publicly explained who owned the gun, how it was stored before it discharged, or whether any adult besides Kimmons was immediately beside the child when the shot was fired. They also have not announced any criminal charge tied to the death as of Friday. Family accounts reported by local media say the child involved was Kimmons’ son. One follow-up report described the family as struggling not only with grief, but also with the trauma carried by the children left behind. That has made the story more than a crime brief. It has become a portrait of a family dealing with a sudden death, public attention and practical questions about funeral costs and care for surviving children. Relatives have said they are raising money to help cover funeral expenses and support the family after the shooting.
The location of the shooting added to the shock. East Shelby Drive near Riverdale Road is a busy southeast Memphis corridor lined with businesses, traffic and everyday errands, not the kind of place where families expect a fatal accident to unfold in daylight. The shooting also fits into a broader pattern that local authorities have repeatedly warned about: unsecured guns and children gaining access to them. In the first reports after Kimmons’ death, police paired the investigation with a fresh round of gun-storage reminders, urging owners to keep firearms locked, unloaded when not in use, and separated from ammunition when possible. The department also noted that free gun locks are available at precinct stations while supplies last. Those reminders came even as detectives were still sorting out the exact circumstances of the shooting, underscoring how quickly one lapse can turn into a fatal event.
So far, Memphis police have described the case as an ongoing investigation. That means detectives are still working through witness statements, the firearm’s chain of custody, and the sequence of events that led to the shot. Authorities have not publicly said whether the file will be reviewed for charges related to gun access or negligence, and no court date had been announced by Friday. The next steps are likely to include a final review of the case file, forensic work tied to the weapon, and a decision on whether anyone other than the child could face legal scrutiny. For the family, the next immediate milestones are more personal than procedural: funeral arrangements, support for Kimmons’ children, and the painful work of explaining the death inside a family already shaken by it.
What has come through most clearly in the follow-up coverage is the family’s shock. Relatives described Kimmons as a mother whose death ripped through several generations at once. Her mother’s public comments gave the story its emotional center, moving it away from the short language of a police alert and toward the reality of a daughter gone and children left to mourn. The grief is layered by the circumstances. The same family circle now has to hold space for the child who was present when the gun fired, even as they try to honor Kimmons’ life. That tension has made the case especially painful for those closest to her. In public comments and memorial posts, the focus has stayed on Kimmons’ children, her mother and the suddenness of a loss that happened in the middle of an ordinary Friday afternoon.
The case remained under investigation Friday, one week after the shooting, with police still withholding many of the details that could explain exactly how Ashley Kimmons was killed and whether any charge will follow.
Author note: Last updated March 13, 2026.