WREG.com

‘We want safety,’ father says after daughter’s stolen car involved in latest I-40 shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A woman whose stolen car was involved in a shooting that shut down Interstate 40 Tuesday has a message for the people who took her vehicle.

“I was a little devastated but at the same time, I believe in the universal law you reap what you sow,” she said.

Adanma Nneka Amaefule’s Honda was stolen from her driveway in North Memphis last Thursday after she ran back into her home for a split second when she forgot something.

Tuesday, with three people inside, it was shot up by an unknown suspect, sending one person to the hospital in critical condition. Two of the people inside were then charged with auto theft.

It was at least the sixth shooting on the north leg of I-40 through Memphis this year.

Earlier this month, a teenager said his truck was shot up along the same stretch. Another shooting happened in August. That followed three within two weeks in February. In one of those cases a pregnant woman was forced to give birth, delivering a baby with a bullet wound.

Police don’t think this latest shooting is random, but that leaves little comfort to the thousands out on the roads.

“First reaction was, our prayers have been answered, but second reaction was, what’s going to happen to innocent people?” asked Bishop Chucks Amaefule, the father of Adamna Nneka.

“Who may be shot up and hurt in what has happened? Some people may be wounded, and it’s not what we pray for. We want peace, we want safety.”

While the family looks to faith, Amaefule says she forgives those who took from her, and is pleased her vehicle was located.

Hundreds of thousands drive on Mid-South roads every day, as vehicles carrying our families whiz up and down the interstate.

We asked Memphis Police if there are extra patrols on the interstate in light of the shooting.
A spokesperson told us, “Officers are continuing their patrols on the interstate. The latest incident is not believed to be random. We do believe that the suspects and victims are in some way familiar with each other. In general, we encourage drivers to be courteous while on the roadway. If they experience an aggressive driver or witness someone driving erratically, call the police. Make a note of the description of the vehicle and driver, and get a tag number when possible. “