'All of Memphis should be in an uproar' over record homicide rate, MPD director says

With 94 days left in 2020, homicides in Memphis have surpassed the record of 228 homicides that occurred in 2016. 

Memphis police confirmed, as of Tuesday morning, officers have responded to 230 homicides, including those of more than two dozen youth, as the city continues navigating a historic pandemic. 

Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings said the number of deaths was worrisome and should be at the top of everyone's mind.

"We obviously saw an uptick during the pandemic, I think the litmus test for murders is the number of aggravated assaults. The number of aggravated assaults has been trending up nation-wide, and we've seen an increase during COVID-19."

Rallings said at last check, aggravated assaults were up by 20% in Memphis from this time in 2019. Incidents of aggravated domestic violence are up too, by 12%, Rallings said, noting Memphis "has a serious problem with violence among intimate partners and family members."

In late August, MPD top brass warned the public that Memphis could reach 300 deaths if the rate of homicides did not decline. Both Deputy Chief Samuel Hines and Rallings said the combination of economic and social stressors have created "a perfect storm" for a record-setting average of 25 homicides a month.

"The bodies are stacking up," Rallings said. "We have three more months to go in the year, we could break 300 homicides...all of Memphis should be in an uproar over this."

Guns stolen from cars, universal carry among concerns 

In Memphis and across Tennessee, the theft of guns from vehicles continues to be a problem, particularly when those stolen weapons end up being used in commission of a homicide.

In 2013, the last year before a change in state law allowed gun owners to store weapons in their unattended vehicles, the number of guns stolen from cars totaled 358. 

Four years of steady increases in the rate of guns stolen from vehicles brought the 2017 total to 1,214, according to MPD. Often, the guns are ending up in the hands of youth, Rallings said.

Driving a pickup truck might make you a target for gun thieves, Memphis police say

"When I go back and look at the young people that we find are in possession of guns...they're getting them from thefts," Rallings said. "There are some (home) burglaries, but so many are being stolen out of cars."

Rallings and other top brass at MPD have been vocal in their opposition to state law that allowed for the storage of weapons in vehicles, and on Tuesday, Rallings signaled concern about another significant change being discussed by state lawmakers — universal carry, or "constitutional carry."

 "The whole discussion of universal carry our state legislature has entertained — and will likely pick back up at some point — is rather troubling," Rallings said.

Rallings is one of several top officials in Memphis that have come out in strong opposition to Gov. Bill Lee's proposed legislation that would end the permit system from carrying a gun. Some second amendment advocates have also criticized the measure, contending it puts more citizens in danger. 

And, in the year of increased protests against police brutality nationally, Rallings worries the proposed legislation will have another unintended consequence. 

"When you look at the different states and cities where protesters have gathered in opposition to one another, and both sides are armed...We’re really concerned about that," Rallings told The Commercial Appeal.

27 children among dire milestone

Late Monday evening, MPD officers responded to a shooting in the 700 block of Crillion Drive where a 12-year-boy had been shot. He was rushed to LeBonheur Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The 12-year-old's death is included in the total of 27 youth, all under the age of 18, who were killed in Memphis.

Of the 27 deaths among children, two were ruled justifiable, four were accidental shootings from an unsecured weapon, and 21 are considered murders.

Rallings said suspects have been developed in 12 of the cases that involve a juvenile victim, but police are still seeking the public's help with nine other cases where a child has been killed.

The year started with a deadly January weekend in which three children, 10-year-old Jadon Knox, Ashlynn Luckett, 6, and Lequan Boyd, 16, were all killed in shootings.

In early July, police were still looking for leads in all three homicides. Rallings and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland held a press conference asking for the public's help.

Rallings said Tuesday he would continue to discuss the level of violence in Memphis, but so far, the deaths of 19 children in 2019 and 27 in 2020," did not get the reaction that I thought we should have had."

Health department weighs in on COVID-19 impact on violent crime

On Tuesday, Shelby County Health Department Director Alisa Haushalter responded to questions about the rise of homicides in Memphis during COVID-19. Social factors that play directly into public health, Haushalter said, such as drug overdoses, domestic violence, and suicides have increased in communities across the U.S.

Shelby County residents, Haushalter said, should keep in mind the ripple effects of COVID-19 that play into safety. 

"I do think the impact from the pandemic, everything from financial stress to the overall emotional stress of what may happen, to people being confined in smaller spaces has impacted a lot of things. And it can impact things that impact public health," Haushalter said. "What's difficult to do is draw a straight line."

Memphis has historically had a high homicide rate in the last century, Haushalter noted. "And we have to be willing to step up and do things differently."

But the greater challenge, Haushalter said, is figuring out how a community can come together to go after root causes of violence, or, "how do we put the energy that we put into COVID into solving some of the other root issues?"Haushalter asked.