3 dead, 4 injured in hours-long shooting spree; 19-year-old in custody
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Ezekiel Kelly, 19, is in custody after a frightening several hours across the city of Memphis.
Memphis police issued an alert Wednesday evening to be on the lookout for an armed and dangerous man who police said was on a shooting rampage across Memphis.
That man was later identified as Kelly, who had an active warrant for his arrest for first-degree murder issued Wednesday.
His criminal history also includes attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. Those charges stem from an arrest in 2020.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland says Kelly was sentenced to three years in prison for those charges, but served just 11 months and was released in March.
Police say Kelly posted live footage of himself pointing guns and shooting people on Facebook and Instagram throughout the evening.
Kelly is accused of shooting seven people. Three of those victims are dead and four others are injured.
The first shooting happened in the early morning hours of Wednesday. A 24-year-old man, Dewayne Tunstall was shot and killed on Lynndale Avenue.
The next shooting happened at 4:35 p.m. A man was found dead on South Parkway East after being shot multiple times.
One minute later, a shooting occurred at Norris Road and I-240 near the southbound ramp. A woman was shot in the leg and is in non-critical condition at the hospital.
The next shooting happened on Jackson Avenue at a business. Police say Kelly ran into the store and shot a man. That victim is in critical condition.
That’s when investigators launched a citywide search for Kelly.
Police across the city pursued Kelly for hours. Police in West Memphis and Southaven also assisted in the pursuit.
Two more shootings occurred before Kelly was captured:
- A woman was shot and carjacked at Poplar Avenue and N. Auburndale Street. She did not survive.
- A man was shot at Poplar Avenue and McLean. He was taken to the hospital in non-critical condition.
There was also a separate shooting that occurred on West Raines during the time period of the spree but police do not suspect Kelly as the shooter.
Southaven police say he then crossed the state line and stole a Dodge Challenger from a customer at Raceway on Stateline Road.
Southaven police say Kelly faces an armed carjacking charge.
Multiple areas of the city were placed on lockdown Wednesday night in response to the active shooter alert. MATA services were shut down and AutoZone Park was evacuated during a Redbirds game. That game has since been postponed, and MATA is back in service.
Kelly crashed the Challenger in Whitehaven and was arrested in the area of Ivan Road and Hodge Road around 9:30 p.m.
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