MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Neighbors along Chestnut Street heard the gunfire Saturday night.
“Sound like 30 shots, man,” Yancy Baker said.
People who live in the South Memphis community knew something was not right.
“It just felt ugly,” Baker described.
Ugly was the only way some people could describe knowing an infant was hit by a bullet.
“When they say that little baby got hit it really — it sent chills over my body,” Lubertha Johnson said.
Police said the shots rang out around 9:30 p.m.
The 7-month-old boy was rushed to the hospital after being grazed by the bullet.
“We ran down there and seen when they said it was a baby,” Baker said. “It just — it killed everything. That was an innocent child, she didn’t deserve that — he didn’t deserve that.”
Hundreds of people marched for peace less than 24 hours after the shooting.
“We looked at the violence that’s been permeating our community. And so we decided it was time to do something,” Rev. Noel Hutchinson said.
The “White Out Sunday” was planned a while ago, but several churches came together on a violent weekend to show the community they care and are working toward change.
“We’re mindful that not just the fruit of violence needs to be addressed, but also the root of the violence needs to be addressed,” Rev. Earle Fisher said.
The faith-based effort is backed with meetings and the development of a real plan to fight for justice and stop the violence.