MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A restaurant employee shared what happened after a suspect who fired a shot at the Fox 13 television studio barricaded himself in their bathroom Tuesday.
Police said one round hit the Fox 13 studio building at Highland and Midland, shattering a window. According to police, the suspect went to the television station because he had a message for the media.
No one was injured but the suspect fled to Ubee’s, a nearby restaurant on Highland.
Before the crime scene tape went up, Jermaine Morris, a worker at Ubee’s, said he was at work when someone ran into the bathroom as he was leaving out. At first, he thought the person just had to go. Instead, it was the suspected shooter.
“I was coming out of the bathroom; he was coming in. I guess he came in behind me. I guess he had to use the bathroom real bad like that. I didn’t know he had the gun and everything on him like that because I wasn’t paying attention,” Morris said.
He said when he learned there was an active shooter in the area, he and his coworkers locked the doors to the restaurant, not knowing the alleged shooter was inside.
“Locked all the doors, and he was like, ‘Check the bathrooms and make sure he ain’t in here.’ We was like (expletive) hope he ain in this MFer while we in here. Went over to check the girl’s bathroom, it was empty. I went over to check the men’s bathroom and jiggled the handle. My cook was like oh, (expletive), he in here,” Morris recalled.
He said shortly after that, all three employees ran out of the back of the store, where they were met by officers with assault-style weapons.
“Police meet us at the door with the choppas and (expletive) so we was like ‘He in the bathroom’, so I told one group y’all might as well go around the front one side, and y’all come through here. So that’s what they did. They split. I felt like I was on Call of Duty or something,” Morris said.
He said the situation was very scary and he is happy that it ended peacefully.
“We got out, we are safe, we are cool, but no harm hurt or danger. Thank God,” Morris said.
Ubee’s released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying, “We are thankful that today’s incident was resolved peacefully and that our staff was able to make it to safety. We are closed tonight, but will reopen tomorrow.”
