The 901: Shooting of alleged carjacker at Memphis Kroger looks like self-defense

Good Tuesday morning from Memphis, where the University of Memphis says it will get another Bengal tiger — you'll just have to go to the zoo to see it. But first ...

Yesterday, at a Kroger gas station near Poplar and Kirby, in an area about as "east" as East Memphis gets, the owner of an SUV shot and killed an allegedly armed carjacker.

Here's how it went down, according to Memphis police and as reported by our own Daniel Connolly: Three or four people, reportedly armed, allegedly tried to jack a white Mercedes G-Class at about 1:20 p.m. The owner retrieved a handgun and shot and killed one person and wounded another, who was in non-critical condition yesterday.

Police detained the owner of the SUV "pending further investigation":

The deceased seems like to be a young man — as young as 16, according to one person interviewed by WREG News Channel 3. Police haven't confirmed his age.

As Memphis braces for what could be a record-breaking year for homicides, probably thanks in no small part to the shutdowns triggered by COVID-19, the city seems to be growing increasingly fed up with the violence. Afterward, amidst an outpouring of support, the SUV owner was hailed as a "hero" in Facebook comments on our story.

Meanwhile, witness Sonya Mull, who was leaving the nearby Tropical Smoothie Cafe when she heard the shots, had a different, more pensive read on the situation:

"It's just very sobering to think that this happened on both sides as a result of something material, that someone would want to take something of someone, another person's possessions and that someone would value that possession enough to take someone's life." 

New facts could still surface, so we shouldn't rush into any judgments. But, based on what we know, we can speculate that the shooter could have been reasonably afraid for his life. That would make this a question of self-defense, not just possession-defense. 

Of course, killing someone to stop them from taking your car — or a $2 beer, like in Dorian Harris' case — is wrong, morally and legally. But killing someone trying to steal your car who is also threatening you with a gun? That's murkier territory, morally and legally. Because state law is so vague on the question of self-defense in public settings, it's hard to say with any degree of certainty whether the SUV owner will face charges.

But here's what we can say: Even if this shooting was justified — and it probably was, based on the facts we have now, although those facts could change — this shooting should not be celebrated. This is another tragedy for a city that has seen too many of them; too many funerals, too many mourning mothers, too many lives derailed by thoughtless crimes. This is another life lost, even if it was lost because of poor choices.

U of M: Memphis Zoo to house TOM IV

The University of Memphis is still ending its tradition of having a live tiger mascot at home games, but the school says it will sponsor a new live mascot at the Memphis Zoo.

Yes, you read that right: Memphis will get a TOM IV, our Evan Barnes reports.

Will TOM IV really be a "mascot" if the school doesn't own him and never shows him at games? That's a big shrug from me. But based on the deluge of comments on social media, the public clearly wants another TOM, even if the tradition won't be what it was.

Here's the Memphis Zoo's reaction to U of M President David Rudd's statement:

Even though the U of M is getting another mascot, don't hold your breath for this to happen:

Shelby County Schools rejects pipeline

Shelby County Schools doesn't seem to want any part of a controversial new pipeline that would run from Memphis to Mississippi, through some of the city's poorest areas.

SCS officials yesterday recommended the rejection of an offer from the developers of the underground Byhalia Connection Pipeline to purchase a 50-foot easement along the district's vacant property on Weaver Road, between W. Holmes Road and Ruby Creek Cove, our Laura Testino reports. The developers had offered the district $25,340.

District officials are rightly worried about the possible environmental consequences, as well as how a pipeline could affect Boxtown and the other neighborhoods near its path.

Although initial skeptical of the district's resistance to the easement, school board member Billy Orgel eventually concluded that there really wasn't a compelling reason — at least, not one he'd seen — for the district to play ball with developers:

"I think we probably need to see more of what they're trying to do. You'd think they'd have a route through an industrial area or something, that wouldn't impact people's homes. And I don't think we should do anything with $25,000," Orgel said. "Probably not worth it." 

+ Speaking of Shelby County Schools: The school district has successfully raised the $1 million it needed to supply students with take-home headsets thanks to a sizable $750,000 contribution from county government, our Laura Testino reports. Also, if you're wondering how the county is getting around a state law requiring proportional funding of all local school districts, Laura tells me it's because the money is being routed to SCS students through the nonprofit SchoolSeed.

What's up with the weather this week

Expect plenty of rain and clouds this week, according to the local office of the National Weather Service...

What else is happening in the 901

• For subscribers: XXXX. (Not a subscriber? Please consider becoming one.)
• Here are two COVID-19 storylines you should keep an eye on: First, FedEx reports that 1.7% of its employees have contracted the virus, which — if you do the math — works out to 8,500 people across the company's global footprint, per our Max Garland. Finally, Christian Brothers High School is moving to all online courses for two weeks after an outbreak of the virus, our Laura Testino reports.
• No, Memphis police can't get around a federal order against spying on activists by working with other agencies, a judge ruled yesterday, per our Daniel Connolly. That's another win in a string of them for the American Civil Liberties Union.
• Roughly 100 people paid tribute to late Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Memphis last night, our Daniel Connolly reports.
• The latest in the wide world of sports: The University of Memphis football team hopes to bring a COVID-19 outbreak under control in time to face Southern Methodist University on Oct. 3, our Evan Barnes reports. Also, Memphis' Southern Heritage Classic can look forward to a star-powered boost thanks to Jackson State naming NFL Hall of Famer Deion "Prime Time" Sanders its new head coach, our Mark Giannotto opines.
• Our Ted Evanoff has the latest quarterly results of Memphis-based AutoZone. Also, Ted has news on the disintegration of the campus of Memphis medical equipment maker Medtronic.

The Fadeout: Evvie McKinney's latest

Coffee-loving Memphis rapper Bartholomew Jones currently holds the record with seven Fadeouts, but Memphis Gospel singer Evvie McKinney — the winner of the inaugural season of FOX's "The Four" — is quickly catching up. As we await her debut album, here's her latest single — and third Fadeout so far this year — "Look No Further"...

Like The Fadeout? Check out The 901's Spotify playlist. Want to submit a recommendation of your own? Reach me by email, address below.

Columnist Ryan Poe writes The 901, a running commentary on all things Memphis. Reach him at poe@commercialappeal.com and on Twitter @ryanpoe.

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