Three suspects, including a 17-year-old boy, have been charged with first-degree murder in the perpetration of a robbery tied to an Oct. 11 shooting in Southeast Memphis that left one man dead and set off a chain of events ending in a crash that killed five more people. Memphis police say 18-year-olds Keelan McWilliams and Christopher Garvins, along with the unnamed teenager, were taken into custody on Nov. 4, nearly a month after the killing.
According to wreg.com, a man was fatally shot near Flowering Peach Drive and South Mendenhall Road on Oct. 11, and all three suspects were found and taken into custody on Nov. 4. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to actionnews5.com. Localmemphis.com also reported the charges.
Officers Responding to the Shooting Were Involved in a Fatal Crash
The shooting set off a separate tragedy that same night. The Memphis Police Department says officers responding to a report of a person shot near Flowering Peach Drive and Mendenhall Road were involved in a collision with another vehicle at the intersection of Hickory Hill Road and Raines Road. Five people in the other vehicle were killed, and three others were injured, including the two officers, per the same account from wreg.com.
Exactly when officers responded remains unclear, with different outlets citing different times. The Memphis Police Department placed the collision at approximately 12:26 a.m. on Oct. 11, while a separate wreg.com report said officers arrived on the shooting scene around 12:30 a.m., and localmemphis.com reported officers responded to the call around 12:26 a.m. The two injured officers were later released from the hospital, the station's report notes.
Highway Patrol Investigation Continues
The Tennessee Highway Patrol was assigned to investigate the crash, and a later report indicated that investigation remained ongoing, according to The Commercial Appeal. Follow-up coverage from wreg.com identified four of the crash victims by name, but reported that the family of the fifth victim, a minor, asked that her name and photos not be released at this time.
The Oct. 11 shooting was not the only deadly incident reported in the Hickory Hill area this fall. On Oct. 26, a separate shooting on Mt. Moriah Road near Kirby Parkway left one man dead and two others hurt, according to Action News 5. No arrests had been made in that case at the time of that report.
What Happens Next for the Teen Suspect
Because one of the three charged is 17 years old, questions remain about where his case will be handled. Under Tennessee's juvenile transfer law, a child who meets certain age and offense criteria can be moved to adult criminal court following a hearing, if the juvenile court finds specified grounds for the transfer, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
