Lexington man charged with murder in connection to final homicide of 2023
The Lexington Police Department has made an arrest in connection to the final homicide reported in 2023.
Luquan Hayes, 26, was charged with murder Wednesday. Police say he was identified as the person who shot 24-year-old Devon Dockery Jr.
The shooting happened on December 27 on the 500 block of Pemberton Street. Police previously said they found Dockery shot inside a vehicle.
Dockery was transported to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where he later died, police said.
Court documents say Hayes was spotted on surveillance footage at a grocery store wearing a white, bubble-style coat, black toboggan, light colored pants and white shoes roughly 37 minutes before the shooting. Video evidence also showed Dockery picked up Hayes on Chestnut Street a few minutes prior to the shooting.
Surveillance footage from homes on Pemberton Street show the vehicle pulling to the side of the road, followed by multiple muzzle flashes from the passenger’s side inside the vehicle, according to court documents. Video evidence then shows Hayes, wearing the same clothing description that was seen at the grocery store, get out of the vehicle and flee towards E. Sixth Street.
Dockery’s vehicle was not in park and it rolled forward until it hit another car after the shooting, according to court documents. No one else entered or exited the vehicle until police and fire personnel arrived on scene.
Cell phone records show Dockery and Hayes spoke over the phone approximately 50 minutes before the shooting, according to court documents. The two had a pattern of communication several weeks beforehand as well.
Hayes is being held at the Fayette County Detention Center on a $750,000 bond, according to court records. He will appear in Fayette District Court for an arraignment Thursday afternoon.
The shooting was one of 22 fatal shootings in Lexington last year. There were 24 homicides in 2023, the lowest annual homicide count in the city since 2018.
With Hayes’ arrest, half of last year’s homicide cases include a suspect in custody.
This story was originally published January 11, 2024 at 7:30 AM.
