A Memphis man has been taken into custody after four people were killed and three wounded in an apparent shooting rampage that sent the city in lockdown for hours, USA Today reports.
According to Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, the citywide shootings began Wednesday (September 7) around 12:56 a.m. and continued until suspected gunman Ezekiel Dejuan Kelly, 19, was captured by law enforcement in the evening.
Seven locations across Memphis were hit with shootings during the rampage and a carjacking occurred in Southaven, Mississippi, which is a few miles south of the city, Davis said.
The Memphis Police Department launched a citywide search for the suspect after receiving a tip from a “concerned citizen” at 6:12 pm Wednesday.
The tipster told police that Kelly threatened to “cause harm to citizens” on Facebook Live, according to Davis. Police said there were also reports of a man posting Facebook videos of himself shooting.
An alert was subsequently sent out advising residents to shelter in place, and many public places and services were shut down as the search ensued.
Officers responded to reports of the carjacking at a local gas station around 8:53 p.m, per Southaven police. Kelly was arrested and taken into custody after he crashed during a high-speed chase in Southaven.
The identities of the victims and a motive for the shootings have not been released by police, according to USA Today.
Mayor Jim Strickland addressed the citywide rampage and shared condolences for the victims and their loved ones in a statement Thursday (September 8).
Kelly was previously arrested on murder charges in 2020. He pleaded guilty in April 2021 to a lesser charge of aggravated assault and was sentenced to three years in prison, but was released in March after serving 11 months.
Strickland said if Kelly would have served his full sentence, he would still be behind bars “and 4 of our fellow citizens would still be alive.”
“These evil actions show why truth in sentencing is a must, and we should do all we can to make our city safe,” Strickland said. “We should not be terrorized by anyone who wants to strike fear in our hearts and take away what we love about Memphis.”
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