A woman was left fighting for her life after being shot overnight in Midtown Memphis, and police say they're hunting for three women believed to have fled the scene in a black sedan. Officers were called to the 1500 block of Madison Avenue at around 2:20 a.m. Sunday, where they found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound.
She was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, according to Memphis police, as reported by Action News 5. Investigators have not released the woman's name or further details about her condition since she was taken to the hospital. According to WREG, preliminary information points to a black sedan occupied by three females as responsible for the shooting, and police say three people are wanted in connection with the attack.
Scene Near Murphy's Shows Signs of Gunfire
By around 10:40 a.m. Sunday, WREG crews at the scene saw broken glass and a broken window near Murphy's, a landmark Midtown bar along the Madison Avenue corridor. The station's report notes that the shooting investigation remains ongoing, with police still working to identify and locate the three suspects. No motive for the shooting has been released.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH, per the same account. No arrests had been announced as of the time this article was prepared.
Not the First Overnight Shooting in the Area
The Madison Avenue shooting is not the only recent gunfire reported in Midtown. In a separate incident, WREG reported that a man was injured after suspects trying to break into his vehicle opened fire on him while he slept in a car parked behind the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Hall at 1870 Madison Avenue. Police said in that case the victim told them he returned fire with his own handgun after the suspects shot at him first.
In that earlier incident, the suspects also fled in a black sedan, with one reportedly wearing a blue surgical mask, according to WREG's reporting. Officers recovered spent shell casings and broken glass near the back of the union hall, and the victim was taken to a hospital by private vehicle in non-critical condition, as reported by La Prensa Latina Media. The supplied evidence does not establish whether that shooting and Sunday's incident on Madison Avenue are connected.
Backdrop of Declining Citywide Crime Numbers
The shooting comes as city officials have pointed to improving crime trends overall. The Memphis Police Department reported continued significant reductions in crime citywide during the second quarter of 2026, according to Memphis Police Department. More recently, The Commercial Appeal reported that crime in Memphis continues to decrease, citing new data from the Memphis Shelby County Crime Commission. Those broader figures do not change the facts of Sunday's shooting, which remains an active, unresolved investigation in Midtown.
