Memphis Woman Claims Self-Defense After Gunning Down Beloved Pastor Ricky Floyd Outside Bar In Late-Night Confrontation
A mother of four has claimed self-defense in the shooting of prominent Memphis pastor Ricky Floyd, but prosecutors are convinced the shot was fired in an angry rage.
Samantha Marion, 42, has pleaded not guilty to voluntary manslaughter charges and is being held on $100,000 bond. Her request for a reduction was denied during a bail hearing on March 14, and she is now reportedly on suicide watch.
In the early morning hours of March 12, an argument broke out between Pastor Floyd and Marion at Momma’s Bar and Kitchen in South Memphis. According to witnesses interviewed by police, the pastor left the bar after the initial argument, but then returned once Marion and two of her friends had moved outside.
An affidavit obtained by Commercial Appeal described him as “irate and aggressive,” and surveillance video allegedly captured Floyd grabbing Marion’s phone and throwing it to the ground. He also allegedly threw a beer can before getting back into his vehicle around 1 a.m.
As he was driving away, Marion pulled out her phone and began recording him, according to the affidavit.
Matters quickly spiraled when Floyd stopped his vehicle, got out, and confronted Marion once again. One of her friends managed to intervene and get in between them, but she was ultimately unsuccessful: the video showed Marion walking toward Floyd, and as he backed away, he fell to the ground and remained there, lying in the road.
However, the case is not so straightforward as prosecutors would like.
Marion’s defense attorneys have disputed the official police account, saying it was “classic self-defense,” adding that she never had run-ins with the law before this, and Floyd was a complete stranger to her.
“This was a person she had never met before. The information about her following him with some video is totally inaccurate,” her defense attorney, John Keith Perry, told local station WREG.
Floyd was a high-profile pastor from the Pursuit of God Church and well-known to community leaders, including Memphis Mayor Paul Young. In a Facebook tribute, the mayor called on every city resident to pray for Floyd’s family, describing the deceased pastor as a casualty of “senseless gun violence.”
“Pastor Floyd was a beloved leader, friend, mentor, and servant to our city… His death is more than a loss for his family and his congregation – it is a loss for Memphis,” he wrote. Floyd had been hailed in the past for establishing mentoring programs for young at-risk boys through his church and advocating for police reform.
The Chief of the Memphis Police Department, CJ Davis, also shared his thoughts with news outlets, describing Floyd as “a respected leader in our community, both in Memphis and beyond.”
County Commissioner Charlie Caswell revealed he had recently rejoined Floyd’s church and described him as a friend. The Memphis City Council also joined the chorus of praise. Chairman J Ford Canale called him a “pillar of strength, a relentless advocate for change, and a guiding force for hope and transformation in our city.”
Marion’s mother, who chose to remain anonymous, spoke to WREG to defend her daughter. In an interview with the outlet, she stated, “This is not my daughter’s character, and she was defending herself. Maybe in her mind she was defending the two friends she was with.”
She continued, “Anybody in any situation, when you become afraid, you become afraid. And you know fear will drive you to that, and she had to be awfully scared.”
Her mother also extended her condolences to Floyd’s family via WREG. If convicted of voluntary manslaughter, Marion could face a prison sentence between eight and 30 years.
