A fatal shooting in the Messick Buntyn area of Memphis claimed the life of a man named Timothy Echols yesterday morning. Memphis Police responded to a 1:15 a.m. distress call in the 3400 block of Southern Avenue, where Echols was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to Regional One Hospital but succumbed to his injuries. FOX13 Memphis reports that one man was detained by MPD following the incident.
The man taken into custody at the scene, Tajee Turnage, has been charged with first-degree murder. Turnage was working as an armed security guard at an apartment complex when he received a FaceTime call from his roommate who claimed Echols had stolen Turnage's gun from his bedroom and fired shots at her. The roommate alleged that Echols punched her in the face and discharged the firearm, as detailed in an account provided by WREG. The confrontation escalated when Turnage confronted Echols on Southern Avenue and shot him multiple times with a mini Draco.
Turnage was present when law enforcement arrived and claimed that he acted after witnessing Echols with a weapon and being aware of his roommate's abuse allegations. According to Action News 5, Turnage waived his rights and gave a full statement to the police about the circumstances surrounding the shooting. He later retrieved his stolen gun from the passenger seat of Echols' car.
Video footage recorded at the scene may provide additional details about the incident. As Turnage attempted to prevent Echols from escaping and demanded to know the location of his belongings, he allegedly commanded Echols to "stay down" and shouted "where my s***?" as per report by WREG. Turnage remains in custody, with details about his bond unavailable. His court hearing is scheduled for tomorrow morning.
