Residents of Westwood and the broader community were shaken early Saturday morning when a parking lot gathering spiraled into violence. According to Action News 5, two individuals were injured in a shooting at the Westwood Community Center parking lot at 810 Western Park Drive. Memphis Police Department (MPD) officers arrived on the scene just before 1:30 a.m. to find a 2024 black Toyota Rav4 crashed into a tree, its driver's side rear window shattered by gunfire.
The MPD discovered the first victim in the driver's seat with a gunshot wound in the back of the head. The second victim was found applying pressure to the driver's wound. Both victims reported that they had come to the parking lot simply to hang out and were parked when a silver SUV, possibly a Kia or Jeep, entered the lot. They then recounted to police that a heavyset man, armed with an AR pistol, approached their car to quickly tell them, "Don't move." In an attempt to suddenly flee, the driver said he was shot, leading to the vehicle's collision with the tree. This information was confirmed by Local Memphis, as told by the victims.
Enhancing the account, a Real Time Crime Center officer informed MPD that the incident was captured on video, showing that the victims had barely settled into their spot for 20 seconds before the suspect's vehicle pulled in and the shooting ensued. The suspects' escape direction remains unknown. At the crime scene, five 300 blackout shell casings were recovered, as reported by WREG. The first victim was rushed to Regional One Health in critical condition while the second victim received treatment at Methodist South Hospital and was in non-critical condition.
Local resident Randall Miller expressed his distress over the event, saying, "Man you know I woke up and I just saw a sea of police lights and I really did not understand what was going on." Miller's statement obtained by Action News 5 underscored the way in which such incidents have made average tasks feel perilous.
Long-time community center volunteer Mary Bain resonated with Miller's concern, lamenting, "Lord have mercy, that’s all I could say. Lord have mercy. And hoping nobody died from that incident. But these guns, they need to put these guns down," as told to WREG. Despite the violence, Bain committed to continue her work with the children of the community, hoping to counteract the scourge of crime with her efforts.
The MPD is actively seeking information on the suspect or the incident. Tipsters are urged to call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH. The investigation is ongoing, and updates are expected as they become available.
