MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A teen was shot in Hickory Hill Thursday morning, according to Memphis Police. Friends called it an accident that occurred while a friend of the victim’s was playing with a gun.
The shooting happened on Bishop Dale Drive near Cloudburst Road. Memphis Police and the Memphis Fire Department responded to the scene at around 11:20 a.m.
Police said the 16-year-old victim was shot in the stomach. He went to Regional Medical Center in critical condition.
One person was reportedly detained on the scene.
Another teenager on the scene says neither the shooter nor the victim lives at the home where it happened, and none of them were in school.
“They come over here and play basketball,” he said. “You aren’t supposed to be playing with a firearm, especially if it’s armed. You aren’t supposed to be playing with it. I guess he got carried away and accidentally shot him.”
The incident bothers Justin Armstrong, who lives around the corner.
“I’m not saying this is a bad neighborhood because I haven’t had any issues. I’ve been here over a year. But at night, you can hear things, cars racing up and down the streets,” Armstrong said.
It’s also a reminder of the reality of the frequency of gun violence, especially involving kids.
“This may sound stupid, but maybe if we have some kind of gun education in school, so kids understand the right purpose of guns, or just giving them the knowledge ahead of time, versus them finding out in the streets,” Armstrong said.
If you have any information on this shooting, call Crime Stoppers at (901) 528-CASH.
