Former Main Event security guard sentenced to 30 years in coworker’s killing

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A former security guard has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the fatal shooting of another guard at a Cordova entertainment venue.

Richard Lewis pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced Monday in Shelby County Criminal Court in the death of James Earl Redmon. Both men were working as security guards at Main Event when the shooting happened in July 2024.

Memphis police said the shooting followed an argument between the two men, who had known each other for several years. Officers responding to the entertainment center on Appling Farms Parkway found Redmon dead at the scene.

Court documents said the guards had argued over the use of metal detectors for visitors entering the business. A witness told investigators that Lewis later warned the other guard not to come near him before shooting him.

According to an affidavit, Lewis told his manager that Redmon came at him and he “had to do it.” Several members of Redmon’s family attended Lewis’ initial court appearance days after the shooting.

Lewis was originally charged with first-degree murder and indicted in November 2024.

“James Earl Redmon went to work that evening, and he should have made it home,” Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said. “Today’s guilty plea holds Richard Lewis accountable for taking his life. Our thoughts are with Mr. Redmon’s family, who are living with this loss every day.”