Just before 1 a.m. Saturday, Memphis police flooded a stretch of Riverside Drive in downtown after reports of gunfire, according to the Memphis Police Department. Officers taped off a large section near Beale Street, creating a sprawling crime scene as they swept the area and gathered evidence for several hours.
FOX13 Memphis reported that the call to police came in just before 1 a.m. and described an active police presence that stretched into the early-morning hours. The station said it had reached out to MPD for more information, including whether anyone was hurt, but the department had not released additional details at the time of publication.
Riverfront context
The portion of Riverside Drive between Georgia Avenue and Beale Street was reconfigured and reopened in September 2025 to slow traffic and add angled parking near Tom Lee Park, changes city officials said were aimed at improving safety for people on foot. Action News 5 covered the redesign, while a broader push to make the riverfront more walkable highlighted the changes as part of a larger riverfront strategy.
What comes next
As of early Saturday, MPD had not issued a public update on victims or arrests, and detectives were still processing the scene as part of an active investigation. Local outlets said they expect to update their coverage as authorities release more information.
