An affidavit says a disagreement over a roommate’s share of rent ended with gunfire.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A disagreement over rent inside a Memphis apartment led to four felony charges after police said Lorenzo Miller shot his roommate at least six times on May 1.
The case began as a dispute over shared housing costs and quickly became an attempted murder investigation. Police said Miller, 22, was at his apartment in the 2100 block of Parkhurst Court with his girlfriend and roommate when the men argued about the roommate not paying his part of the rent. By the time officers arrived, the roommate had multiple gunshot wounds, Miller was still near the apartment and a black Taurus 9 mm handgun was later found outside near a fence line.
Investigators described the setting as a shared apartment where an ordinary household issue turned violent. The affidavit does not say how long the men had lived together, how much rent was owed or whether there had been earlier disputes over bills. It does say Miller’s girlfriend was present when the argument started and later gave police an account of the shooting. She told investigators the fight began because the roommate had not paid his portion of rent. Police said the men continued to argue as Miller armed himself. The affidavit says Miller went into the roommate’s bedroom to get a black Taurus handgun, and it also says the gun was on a nearby coffee table before Miller grabbed it.
The doorway became a central part of the case. Police said Miller, while armed, blocked the door and refused to let the roommate leave. That allegation is the basis for the especially aggravated kidnapping charge. The charge does not depend only on the shooting itself; it also rests on the claim that Miller held the roommate in place during the argument while carrying the gun. The affidavit said the roommate punched Miller in the face as Miller pointed the gun at him. Investigators did not describe the punch as the start of the dispute. They said it happened after Miller had the weapon and after he prevented the roommate from leaving.
Police said the shooting unfolded in stages. Miller first shot the roommate in the stomach and twice in the shoulder, according to the affidavit. When the roommate continued fighting, police said, Miller shot him in the leg. The roommate then fell to the floor. Investigators said Miller stood over him and fired at least two more times. Officers later reported that the roommate appeared to have been shot at least six times. The affidavit did not list every wound by medical finding, and it did not provide a doctor’s description of the injuries. Police said the victim was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition after officers found him inside the apartment.
Miller was not described as fleeing far from the scene. Officers found him in the breezeway of the apartment building, police said. That detail placed him outside the unit but still at the complex when police arrived. Investigators then found the black Taurus 9 mm handgun outside the apartment near a fence line. The gun’s location mattered because Miller was also charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence. The available affidavit does not state whether police saw anyone move the gun, whether the weapon had been wiped down or whether it was loaded when recovered. It only identifies the gun and says where officers found it.
Statements from three people are listed in the police account. Miller’s girlfriend identified Miller as the person responsible for shooting the roommate, the affidavit says. Miller also spoke with investigators. Police said he confessed to shooting the roommate after being assaulted by him. The wounded roommate gave investigators another piece of evidence the next day. Police said he viewed a six-person photo lineup and picked out Miller as his roommate and as the person who shot him. The record does not include a full transcript of any interview. It also does not say whether Miller had an attorney present during questioning or whether he made any later statement in court.
The charges show how prosecutors and police viewed the event. Attempted first-degree murder accuses Miller of trying to kill the roommate. Employing a firearm with intent to commit a felony focuses on the alleged use of the gun during the crime. Especially aggravated kidnapping points to the claim that Miller blocked the roommate’s exit while armed. Tampering with or fabricating evidence points to conduct involving evidence, which police tied to the recovered gun. Together, the counts treat the case as more than a fight that ended with one shot. They frame it as an armed confrontation, a blocked exit, repeated gunfire and an alleged effort involving evidence.
The apartment on Parkhurst Court remained the location where investigators would likely return for physical evidence and follow-up interviews. The affidavit does not mention surveillance video from the building, body camera footage, 911 audio or statements from neighbors. It also does not say whether the girlfriend was injured or whether other residents were inside nearby units when shots were fired. Police did not release the victim’s name in the available account. They also did not provide an updated condition after the initial statement that he was hospitalized in critical condition. Those gaps left the early case focused on the affidavit’s timeline and the three key identifications of Miller.
Miller’s first listed court date was May 5, four days after the shooting. Early hearings in felony cases often deal with bond, appointment of counsel and scheduling, but the available record did not state what happened at that appearance. The filing of charges did not resolve whether prosecutors would later amend counts, add evidence from the hospital or lab testing, or seek a grand jury indictment. The next steps would depend on court scheduling and the progress of the police investigation. For now, the public record gives a narrow account of a rent dispute, a gun, a doorway and six reported wounds.
The case also leaves unresolved the roommate relationship at the center of the shooting. Police said the argument was about rent, but the affidavit does not give a broader history between the men. It does not say whether rent had been missed before, whether the men had a written agreement or whether the girlfriend lived there full time. What the record does say is that all three were inside the apartment when the dispute began, the girlfriend later identified Miller, and the wounded roommate survived long enough to identify him as well. Those accounts are now part of the criminal case against Miller.
Currently, Miller remains charged in Shelby County as the investigation moved from the apartment scene to court. The next clear public step was the May 5 appearance listed after his arrest.
Author note: Last updated May 24, 2026.