Dequarius “DQ” Lax, 18, of Brownsville, Haywood County, Tennessee, United States is accused of ending the life of another teenager. He is now in custody.
Saturah Hayes
Saturah Hayes was a junior student of Haywood High School in Brownsville. She is one of the daughters of Astacia Hayes, 43, of Brownsville.
Astacia is an alumna of Haywood High School, West Tennessee Business College in Jackson, Madison County, Tennessee and Jackson State Community College in Jackson. She is a Tyson Foods employee.
Saturah planned to take her senior pictures in 2027 with Jaelon Pruitt. However, she did not live to be a senior student.
It was Saturah’s dream to become a nurse and earn a license as a braider and a natural hairstylist. She was a straight A student.
Dequarius Lax
On the evening of May 8, 2026, Astacia dropped Saturah and Saturah’s younger sister off at the Webb Banks Passive Park in Brownsville and left to run some errands. Wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, Saturah took photos with her boyfriend and friends who were attending the Haywood High School prom.
At 6:55 p.m., Astacia got a text message from Saturah saying they were ready to be picked up. Minutes later, Lax opened fire at the park and shot seven people including Saturah and Jakaylan Summers, 18, of Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee.
At 7:01 p.m., Astacia got her first call about the mass shooting. Saturah was fatally shot while Summers and five others were injured.
After the shooting, the Brownsville Police Department enforced a curfew for those under the age of 18. Working with the department, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation identified Lax as the shooter. The U.S. Marshals Service offered up to $5,000 in reward money and the TBI offered up to $2,500 for information on Lax’s whereabouts.
On May 10, 2026, people in Brownsville came together to support Astacia as Saturah’s remains were being handed over. On May 19, 2026, a grand jury in Haywood County returned an indictment for Lax. He was charged with 22 counts including the first-degree murder of Saturah and six counts of attempted first-degree murder for shooting six other individuals.
On the morning of May 27, 2026, Lax surrendered in Brownsville. The city’s mayor William “Bill” D. Rawls Jr. confirmed that the teenager was brought into custody without incident.
Lax is 5’7″ tall. He weighs around 130 lbs.
CONAN Daily 