Violence erupted in a quiet South Memphis neighborhood early Thursday, leaving one man fighting for his life following a shooting incident, Memphis Police confirmed. The call came in around 4 a.m., taking officers to the 1500 block of Rayburn Street where the injured man was discovered, this comes according to a report by Local Memphis. The victim was rushed to Regional One Health in critical condition, with investigations into the shooting still ongoing, as residents of the area were left reeling by the sudden outburst of violence that shattered their early morning routines.
The situation reportedly escalated from a domestic incident, where a man was allegedly shot multiple times by another man who encountered him with his girlfriend, according to information obtained by FOX13 Memphis. Police discovered spent shell casings across multiple locations prompting an extensive investigation it is believed to include Rayburn, Waldorf, and Patton streets, with neighbors reporting the sound of at least a dozen gunshots which hints at the chaos suffered in the community in those predawn hours.
Anxious and disturbed, Jeffrey McCollins, who lives nearby, recalled the events while preparing for work, "I heard something like six shots, then four, then two more," as reported by WREG. The terror that McCollins felt underscores the broader community's alarm over persistent violence, directing uneasy questions at the Memphis Police Department and its Chief, C.J. Davis, regarding their strategies to stem the tide of criminal activities, with six incidents being reported in the area alone since the start of the year.
Authorities are encouraging members of the public to assist in the matter, and for anyone with pertinent information to step forward, they can do so by calling Crime Stoppers at (901) 528-CASH, this appeal came according to a statement obtained by WREG. As local residents grapple with the aftermath of the eruption of gunfire and as they grapple with the specter of violence that looms over their daily lives, one question hangs heavy in the air - what more can be done to return a sense of security to the streets of South Memphis?
