MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Kids in the Mid-South are being shot, and no one’s being held accountable.
The Orange Mound community hosted a vigil Tuesday for 10-year-old Jadon Knox, who was killed in a drive-by shooting while playing in his yard Sunday night.
What’s even more concerning, still no one is coming forward with information after three children were shot just a day apart. Forty-eight hours later, and police have no arrests or even a person of interest.
“We should be turning these individuals in,” Memphis Police Director Mike Rallings said. “Our city is better than that. We cannot harbor individuals that take the lives of innocent children that have nothing to do with these disputes.”
Sadly, that is exactly what’s happening.
With the recent case of 2-year-old Laylah Washington, it took someone nearly two years to tell police anything.
“The community has an important place in this,” Rallings said. “Someone knows who pulled the trigger. If someone does a heinous act to a child, they should be getting turned in immediately.”
The family of 10-year-old Richard Jordan is still waiting for someone to come forward. It’s been more than two years since he was shot and killed in his mom’s SUV.
Activists like Stevie Moore with Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives are fighting for children like Jordan.
Moore lost his own son to gun violence 17 years ago, so he understands the pain these parents feel.
“I had to watch him lay on that ground,” Moore said.
What he doesn’t understand is why no one wants to see the killers brought to justice.
“We’ve got to see why this crime is happening and why our community will not talk because in our community, we’ve got the no snitch policy,” said Moore.
Moore said he’s organizing a community discussion next month to work on solutions.
As they do that, Memphis Police are asking anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH to help them do their part.
