A violent surge rattled a Memphis community as two shootings, mere hours apart, occurred at the same gas station yesterday. Action News 5 reports that a 16-year-old boy was shot at the Marathon Gas Station located at 2306 Lamar Avenue near Airways Boulevard. The incident, drawing a quick response from police at approximately 4:14 p.m., was the first instance of gunfire at the site that day.
Police detailed that the teen was hurried to the hospital by his mother, suffering from a gunshot wound, while the suspect responsible fled the scene. Video evidence obtained from the station's surveillance shows someone adorned in a white hoodie and blue jeans, suspected to be the individual behind the shooting. Fortunately, the victim's injuries were deemed non-critical according to the Memphis Police Department.
WREG described the shooting at the gas station. At around 4:50 p.m., police received reports of an aggravated assault involving a silver Mazda and a black Nissan sedan. A conversation between the cars' occupants turned violent when one person, armed with an AR pistol, began to shoot at the Mazda as its inhabitants attempted to flee. The victims abandoned the Mazda on the east side of the median at the intersection of Lamar Avenue and South Parkway, escaping on foot toward Lamar Avenue behind nearby businesses. The 16-year-old victim later rendezvoused with his mother at the corner of Bellevue and Lamar, who then rushed him to Le Bonheur's Children's Hospital. His condition, too, was listed as non-critical.
Adding to the day's chaos, a separate shooting incident brought a man with critical injuries to the same Marathon gas station, searching for aid shortly before 8:30 p.m. According to Fox13 Memphis, the man, apparently shot at an unspecified location, sought help at the gas station which was the site of the earlier shooting involving the 16-year-old. Taken to the hospital, the man's condition was critical, exemplifying a day marked by violence and the all-too-familiar blare of police sirens responding to tragedy.
All instances are under ongoing investigation, as police urge anyone with information to come forward. Tipsters are encouraged to contact CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH with any leads that might assist in these cases.
