Memphis Police have made a third arrest in connection with an attempted robbery and shooting on Mud Island that occurred earlier this month. According to Action News 5, the incident unfolded at Island Place East and Island Village Drive, leaving one man critically injured after he was shot twice by suspects who tried to forcefully rob him of his vehicle.
The suspects, reported to be three men in a red Chevrolet Silverado, abruptly intercepted the victim and attempted to carjack his 2020 Ford F-150. In the ensuing chaos, the victim sustained gunshot wounds and, in a bid to escape, collided with a mailbox, a scene that caught the attention of an attentive witness who assisted until paramedics could take over. WREG noted that the vehicle used in the crime was later found abandoned in a wooded area and was identified as stolen.
Christopher Skelton, 29, and Justin Furnish, 42, were the first to be taken into custody and have now been charged with theft of property of a motor vehicle, attempted carjacking, attempted first-degree murder, and two counts of employment of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony. FOX13 Memphis reported that subsequent investigations led to the arrest of Hunter Maness, 33, who is now charged with being an accessory after the fact to the same charges.
The continued investigation into the violent episode on Mud Island, which had immediately sparked an intensive search for the assailants, led authorities to apprehend the third suspect, Hunter Maness. Courtesy of swift law enforcement work, Maness is slated to appear in court, facing the weight of his alleged involvement. After the recovery of the suspect vehicle and the piecing together of evidence, including video footage from witnesses, regional collaboration with DeSoto County offered further pieces to finally puzzle together. Maness is to be specifically tried for accessory after the fact related to the initial charges faced by Skelton and Furnish, encapsulating theft of property, attempted carjacking, and the ominous shadow of attempted murder.
The victim, whose ordeal through gunfire and vehicular violence led him to a critical condition admission at Regional One, is thankfully expected to survive, according to statements obtained by news outlets. His assailants, now detained, await the determination of justice in a city all too familiar with such harrowing tales.
