MEMPHIS, Tenn. — More details are emerging after a 13-year-old girl was shot and killed in her Hickory Hill apartment complex.
MPD hasn’t given us any word of an arrest, but they did tell us this is the eighth child murder victim of 2022.
There are two holes in the front wall of the apartment where neighbors said a 13-year-old girl was shot and killed Friday.
Police haven’t named any suspects. They’re only saying they’re looking for four men responsible who ran away on foot.
A woman spoke to us who lives close by in the Hickory Hill Apartment complex, but said she didn’t know the teen or her family. The woman we spoke to said she tends to keep to herself so her children can stay safe.
That’s with good reason, she’s noticed the trend that police and health care workers are seeing. There has been a disturbing uptick in children being victims of gun violence.
Dr. Regan Williams is the Trauma Medical Director at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.
“The number of firearm injuries has increased so much that the hospital staff have gotten used to it,” Dr. Williams said. “We had a huge increase in firearm injuries and deaths in 2020, further increase in 2021 and then as you mentioned 2022 is not faring very well.”
Dr. Williams said they’ve already had 2 firearm deaths at the hospital this year. MPD said they’ve had 8 children killed by homicides citywide.
Dr. Williams said about half the child gunshot victims they treat are victims of accidental shootings.
“88% of our patients with intentional injuries were shot in drive-by shootings,” Dr. Williams said. “It’s hard being a parent to keep their child safe especially when they work. Peer pressure… it’s out here. So, we do the best we can.”
Le Bonheur officials said they’re working on a new public education program through the public libraries to try to cut down on accidental shootings. That program is about to roll out any day.
