MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A 15-year-old was taken to a hospital after a shooting in Downtown Memphis on Wednesday morning, police said.
Police did not have a suspect, but found a rifle nearby on train tracks.
The shooting occurred at Wagner Place and Union Avenue, near Riverside Drive, around 5:30. Evidence markers and crime scene tape could be seen on Wagner.
Officers found one male juvenile with a gunshot wound. He was taken to Regional One Hospital in critical condition.
Nearby residents say they’re fed up with the crime.
“I just moved here. This is ridiculous. It’s time for me to go already,” said a woman named Stephanie. “You can’t live downtown.”
Carol Coletta is the president and CEO of the Memphis River Parks Partnership, which oversees Tom Lee Park — just steps away from this shooting — said people need to be vigilant because there are “too many guns on the street.”
Coletta says she believes downtown Memphis can be one of the safest neighborhoods in the city, but she says it’s going to take the entire community coming together.
Memphis Police increased patrols downtown earlier this month after eight people were shot. Despite the added patrols, another shooting left a woman dead and two others injured less than two weeks after the mass shooting.
But it’s not enough for residents like Stephanie.
“I think they need to rehaul the whole infrastructure of Memphis. We need to start with the police department. A whole overhaul,” she said.