On Monday, February 16, 2026, a fatal shooting at an apartment complex in southeast Shelby County claimed the life of a woman identified by family and authorities as Leah Carnes, following what deputies described as a domestic dispute between two women. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office responded to a homicide investigation at the 7800 block of Capital Peak Lane East, located in the Centennial Gardens Apartments, around 6:15 p.m. after reports of gunfire in the parking lot.
According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the incident unfolded as an argument between two women escalated to deadly violence in the apartment complex parking lot. During the altercation, one woman shot the other, later identified as Leah Carnes. Following the shooting, a man drove the victim to Methodist Germantown hospital in an effort to save her life, but she was tragically pronounced dead upon arrival at the medical facility.
Deputies at the scene detained the other woman involved in the domestic dispute, who remained at the apartment complex following the shooting. The suspect’s identity has not been released by authorities as the investigation remains ongoing, and no charges have been formally announced as of Monday night. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that detectives are actively investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting.
The Centennial Gardens Apartments, located near the intersection of Hacks Cross Road and Highway 385, became an active crime scene as investigators processed evidence and interviewed potential witnesses. The complex’s parking lot, where the domestic dispute turned deadly, was cordoned off while forensic technicians documented the scene and collected physical evidence. Authorities have not released additional details regarding the relationship between the two women or the nature of the argument that led to the shooting.
Leah Carnes’s death has devastated her family and friends, who now face the sudden loss of a loved one taken in an act of violence. The man who rushed her to the hospital made desperate efforts to save her life, but those efforts proved unsuccessful. As the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office continues its investigation, the community grapples with another tragedy involving domestic violence that escalated to a fatal conclusion in an apartment complex parking lot on Capital Peak Lane East, where an argument between two women turned deadly on a Monday evening in February.