What began as a familiar name from college basketball has now become a serious legal case in Memphis. On July 8, Lagerald Vick was charged with attempted first-degree murder and one count of employing a firearm with the intention to commit a felony, turning a former University of Kansas player into the subject of a felony prosecution.
The charge stems from an allegation tied to a shooting in the early hours of July 5. Memphis Police Department officers responded to a shooting with persons struck call at Regional One Hospital, and the case later centered on an incident described in an affidavit involving Carlos Funzie at a party on Madewell Drive in North Memphis.
That detail matters because it places the case in a specific sequence, not just a broad allegation. Vick, a Memphis-born professional basketball player, is now facing accusations that extend far beyond his basketball background. The charge itself is the clearest development: attempted first-degree murder, plus one count related to a firearm allegedly used with the intention to commit a felony.
From Kansas standout to legal trouble
Vick’s basketball résumé gives the story its public weight. He committed to play basketball at the University of Kansas in May 2015, and by 2018 he had become the first Jayhawk in the program's history to make eight threes without a miss as a senior. He later took a leave of absence from the team for personal matters in February 2019.
After that, his career moved overseas. In December 2019, Vick joined the Yulon Luxgen Dinos of the Super Basketball League in Taiwan, and he played internationally for various teams until April 2024.
That background does not answer the legal questions now in front of him, but it explains why the case has drawn attention. The basketball details are context; the charge is the story. For now, the most important point is that Vick is facing a grave felony accusation connected to an alleged shooting in Memphis, and the case will be judged on the facts that emerge from there.
According to the victim account, Carlos Funzie said he was at a party on Madewell Drive in North Memphis when he was approached by a man with a handgun tucked under his armpit. That allegation is now part of the broader case surrounding the July 5 shooting report and the July 8 charge against Vick.
