A late-night scooter ride home from his girlfriend’s house turned into a scare for one Memphis teenager early Wednesday, after police say he was grazed by a bullet in a Raleigh drive-by shooting.
The teen was riding an electric scooter through the neighborhood when shots rang out, according to the Memphis Police Department. He bolted from the area and was later taken to a hospital with what officials described as a minor wound. Officers remained on scene into the morning, and police say an investigation is underway.
According to FOX13 Memphis, the teen had just left his girlfriend’s home shortly before 3:00 a.m. and was headed toward his house on Royal Wood when three men in a blue SUV opened fire. Shots were reported to have come from the rear driver’s-side seat.
The victim ran from the scene and called his mother to pick him up. Memphis Fire Department crews then transported him to a hospital after confirming he had been grazed by a bullet. Officers later located the shooting site in the Carnoustie Cove area near Whitney Avenue and New Allen Road and roped it off with crime-scene tape while they processed evidence.
What investigators are asking
Detectives are now trying to piece together who was inside that blue SUV and why they opened fire on a teen riding home. Memphis Police are asking anyone with information or video from the area to come forward.
Tips can be submitted anonymously to CrimeStoppers of Memphis at 901-528-CASH, the organization’s website notes.
Raleigh's recent shooting trend
This latest gunfire adds to a troubling string of shootings in the Raleigh area this year that have left neighbors restless and police repeatedly calling for surveillance footage and community tips. As previously reported in coverage of similar overnight shootings and juvenile-involved cases, the neighborhood has seen more than its share of late-night violence.
