MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis police say they’ve responded to two murder-suicides this week amid a rising trend in domestic violence. In both cases, police said a man shot and killed a woman.
The pain left another kind of heaviness for people on Henley Street in Orange Mound.
“I never would have thought something like that would’ve happened, but I know they’ve been having a lot of problems over there,” neighbor Tony Redd told WREG.
Tony Redd has lived on this street for 15 years. He said it was only a matter of time before something horrible happened next door.
“Police have been up here 25 or 30 times,” Redd said.
Police say a man shot and killed a woman before killing himself last night. Redd says it was a tragic end to a troubled relationship.
“My wife told her to leave him. She said she was but she never did. That’s what happened and she ended up dead,” Redd said.
He recalled witnessing the violence, and it happened across the street from an elementary school.
“All of a sudden she come running out of the house down the street saying he’s about to kill her,” Redd said.
This was the second murder-suicide police have responded to this week. The other one happened less than two and a half miles away on Carnes near the University area Tuesday.
Police said victims rarely think it will get to that point. WREG spoke with Tony Cox, Commander of the Domestic Violence Unit.
“It can get there, and it may not even be planned. In the heat of the moment things happen,” Cox said.
Police said it’s important to get out while you can. Equally important for victims is family members and neighbors to speak up.
“If they see something, they should be saying something,” Cox said. “We’ll try to get there as best we can, as fast as we can so we can try to stop some of these tragic incidents from happening.”
Sometimes, they arrive too late. Police say they will identify the victims once next of kin is notified.
If you’re in an abusive relationship and need help leaving, call MPD or the Family Safety Center at (901) 222-4400 at any time for emergency assistance.
