MEMPHIS, Tenn. — In just one hour two people were killed and many more were injured in neighborhoods across Memphis Tuesday night.
Police say a woman was hurt in a shooting on the interstate, and two men were injured following a shooting and fiery crash on Raleigh Egypt.
They also said another man was killed in a shooting on Timberwood.
And the hours leading up to the violence, even more shootings were reported.
“It’s isolated incidents, but in the same areas,” said Delvin Lane. He heads 901 B.L.O.C. Squad. It’s a group working with young men to curb the violence. He and his team have gone to a majority of the recent shooting scenes, and then schools and neighborhoods to make sure no one else retaliates.
He has his own reasons for the recent violence.
“There are too many guns in our community that our kids have access to. There are too many older guys in this community manipulating the kids into doing things they shouldn’t be doing,” said Lane. “Our kids don’t know to deal with conflict resolution. A lot of this stuff is stemming with kids making the wrong the decisions.”
He also said until we stop that, we’re going to keep seeing violence.
The Memphis Police Department’s Cyberwatch reports 749 aggravated assaults in the last three months across the city.
WREG also uncovered new data from police that shows homicides are up compared to this in 2018. So far this year, there’s been 51. Last year, 35.
We asked MPD for an interview but never heard back.
Recently an MPD colonel told WREG there are multiple contributing factors to the recent violence, like more guns being stolen from vehicles now on the streets. He also said as we near the summer months and school lets out, each precinct will work to address the crime in their neighborhoods.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland also said the city is working to recruit more officers, and hopes to have another 200 by the end of the year.
