A 15-year-old girl was shot in the head early Sunday at the Tillman Cove Apartments in Binghampton, causing sadness and concern in the Memphis community. Police responded around 3:00 a.m. She was first taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in critical condition, then moved to Regional One. Her condition is now non-critical, according to police. Neighbor Eric Anthony told WREG, "It brought a real tear to my eyes. I cried when I saw that baby," after hearing the gunshots.
Running to ensure his own family's safety after the gunfire, Anthony discovered the distressing scene. "I saw a little kid run up to me, and I looked at him and he couldn’t even say nothing. I said, 'What’s going on? What’s going on?'" Anthony told WREG. Anthony, a former gang member, pleaded with the community to end the violence, emphasizing the random and destructive nature that left an innocent child injured. "You’re not hitting your target, who you’re looking for," he noted. "That’s not gangster."
The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, with Memphis Police Department yet to release any suspect information or a motive. The community has responded with calls to stop the violence, citing this incident as a clear example of its pervasive and sometimes random reach. "We need to put these guns down and pick up the Bible or pick up each other and stop kicking down each other," Anthony advocated in his statement to WREG.
According to a Action News 5 report, the victim’s sister was doing her hair when she heard the shots and subsequently saw her sister with a gunshot wound to the head. The girls' mother told officers that she did not hear any shots fired as she was asleep with her other children. The traumatic event has left the Binghampton community reeling, with one neighbor, Mickiliha Sigle, confessing to FOX13 Memphis, "I just pray and hope that baby is OK." Sigle also shared her concern for her own children's safety, stating that they are constantly scared in the wake of such violence.
Memphis Police Department is urging anyone with information about the shooting to contact Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH, as per WREG. The appeal underscores the urgency to address this and similar acts of violence that continue to affect families and children in Memphis neighborhoods.
