MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man has been listed in critical condition after officers responded to a shooting call on B.B. King Boulevard and Beale Street Sunday morning.
What is being described as peaceful Saturday night on Beale Street took a turn for the worse when gunshots broke out just after 3:00 Sunday morning, near the intersection of BB King Boulevard and Beale Street.
One man was critically injured.
“It was smooth night; it wasn’t a lot of people out,” said Levi Williams. “It was surprise because I actually thought it was one of the calmer nights and I was out here with my family.”
Despite the shock, Williams says it was inevitable due to what he describes as a lack of security enforcement.
“Because they wasn’t checking,” Williams said. “I walked through the security guard, and he just patted my sides and I walked right through.”
The downtown commission charges patrons a security fee to enter Beale Street Friday and Saturday nights. They also claim to wand for weapons starting at 9 p.m. until 3 a.m.
It’s unclear if it was heavily enforced Saturday. However, Memphis Police has increased its presence in the area.
In a recent meeting with the city council, Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis says this decision was made based on crime trends.
“As you know, one of focuses was to quickly assign more officers in the downtown space,” Davis said. “Our assignment and deployment of officers is not a cookie cutter approach. It’s more of what is the demand, what is the increases?”
Data from the city shows around the entertainment district there have been more than 1800 crimes reported this year. It’s a stat that Memphians believes underscores the need for changes.
“It makes you unsafe,” Williams said. “It makes you very unsafe not to go out. You have to go out in the daytime where you feel like there is no crime.”
No arrests have been made at this time. Police do not have any suspect information.
Call (901)-528-CASH with any information on this shooting.