MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Authorities are investigating a shooting that left a 12-year-old injured on a Memphis interstate Monday.
Samuel Bennett told police he was driving on the 101 Connector, which connects to Highway 51 in Frayser, heading toward Interstate 40 on the way home to Mason, Tennessee.
Bennett came upon a Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Grand Am that were parked next to each other in the middle of traffic. As he was passing the parked vehicles, he said he heard four or five shots.
“It sounded to me like a bunch of firecrackers going off,” Bennett said. “Sounded like five shots going off.”
His grandson, who was a passenger in the vehicle, then started crying and yelling that his back hurt.
“About half a second after he started shooting, I felt something hit me in my stomach,” said 12-year-old Samuel Bennett III. “I immediately just fell over.”
Bennett said he pulled over, got out of the car to find his phone and then got away. He eventually flagged an officer down on Thomas.
A bullet struck the boy in the lower back. Doctors at Le Bonheur told the youngster the bullet, which is still lodged in his back, narrowly missed his liver.
He has been released from the hospital.
Police said the vehicle had multiple bullet holes on the passenger side. Police were told a man with dreadlocks with gold tips and a tattoo on his face shot an AR-styled gun at the pair.
In the police report, authorities noted that a witness stated he saw a man on the interstate holding a gun before shots were fired.
No one has been arrested. If you know anything, call Crime Stoppers at (901) 528-CASH.
This would be at least the 34th shooting on Memphis highways in 2020 after 46 highway shooting incidents in 2019.
