CNN—
A 19-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after live-streaming part of a shooting that left four dead and three wounded and changed lives in Memphis, as residents were urged to seek shelter in the search of the scene, police said.
The hour-long killing spree resulted in the suspension of public bus and streetcar service and the interruption of a minor league baseball game. It infuriated the city's mayor with rampant violence and it happened less than a week after the publicity.Kidnapping and murder of a school teacherIt's running.
"I am angry with them and I am angry with our citizens who have had to shelter in place for their own safety until this suspect is caught. We cannot live like this and it is not acceptable," said Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, who offered its condolences to the families of the victims.
"People in our city were subjected to the kind of violence no one should be subjected to."
Police at the scene of a reported car theft related to a series of shootings in Memphis on Wednesday.
Apparently, at least one of the shootings was broadcast on Facebook Live, which eventually led to the arrest of Ezekiel Kelly after a high-speed chase. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis, said at a news conference on Thursday.
Kelly was released from prison in March after serving 11 months of a three-year sentence for aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge after originally being charged with attempted murder, reckless endangerment and using a firearm with intent to commit a dangerous crime in a 2020 Shelby County case, records show.
"If Mr. Kelly had served his full three-year sentence, he would still be in prison today and four of our fellow citizens would still be alive," Strickland said.
Kelly, aka Zeek Huncho, is due to appear in court on Friday, according to prison records. He is being held on charges of first-degree murder, although authorities have said they expect further criminal charges.
The killing started before 1 am. M. on Wednesday and lasted late into the night and triggered aOn-site order protectionaround town as police searched for the shooter.
"Our citizens in Memphis and Shelby County were going about their business... dropping off work, picking up the kids from daycare, just going about their normal lives when everything went wrong," the Shelby County Sheriff said. Floyd Bonner. "Many families will never get over the horrific violence we saw inflicted on the city by a single individual tonight."
Booking photo of Ezekiel Kelly from the Shelby County Jail.
How were the shootings
The first shooting was reported at around 12:56 pm. M. at 3100 Block of Lyndale Avenue. Officers found a male victim in a garage and he was pronounced dead at the scene, Davis said.
Three witnesses at the scene, friends of the victim and the alleged shooter, positively identified Kelly through a series of photographs, according to an affidavit.
The victim was identified as Dewayne Tunstall, who was with four other friends when Kelly moved him, according to the affidavit. Tunstall was shot in the head.
At 4:38 pm, officers responded to another shooting in the 900 block of South Parkway East, where they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds in his vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Surveillance video from a nearby store showed the gunman in a gray sedan parked next to the victim and fired several shots before driving off, Davis said.
Minutes later, at 4:40 pm. M.'s officers were responding to a shooting on Norris Road and I-240 that left a woman with a gunshot wound to her leg. She was taken to a hospital in non-critical condition. The suspect fled in a dark-colored sedan, Davis said.
More than an hour later, at 5:59 pm. M., officers arrived at the scene of another shooting at a store in the 4000 block of Jackson Avenue. "Ezekiel Kelly was on Facebook Live when he opened fire in the store," Davis said.
Emergency services found a man with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
A little later, at 18:12. M., police received a call that someone named "Zeek Huncho" was live on Facebook and said he was threatening to "harm the public," Davis said.
This undated photo released by the Memphis Police Department shows 19-year-old alleged shooter Ezekiel Kelly.
The Memphis Police Department then released aSearch across the cityfor an "armed and dangerous" suspect and urged some residents to seek shelter there.
At 7:23 pm, another shooting was reported in Poplar Avenue and the North Evergreen area, in which a woman was fatally shot. The shooter fled the scene in the victim's vehicle, a gray SUV, Davis said.
A minute later, officers responded to another shooting on Poplar Avenue and found a man shot. He was taken to a hospital in non-critical condition, Davis said.
Then, at 8:55 pm, officers responded to the 800 block of West Raines Road, where Davis said a woman was pronounced dead with gunshot wounds. She was the seventh victim of the killing.
At 8:56 pm, the Southaven, Mississippi Police Department responded to the Stateline Road and Highway 51 area regarding a stolen car, Davis said. Police said Kelly robbed a victim at gunpoint, took a gray Dodge Challenger and left the gray SUV behind. The victim was unharmed. Southhaven is across the state line from Memphis.
Two minutes later at 8:58 pm. Memphis police spotted the Challenger on I-55 and Kelly was pulled over after an uneventful high-speed chase.
The chief said two guns were seen in the vehicle when Kelly was pulled over. "Several criminal charges are pending," he added.
Meta, Facebook's parent company, said it was working closely with the police on the case.
The social media giant said it contacted the department shortly after the first public alert from police and has since removed content from the video that may be related to the incident.
"We have to stop this madness"
The series of shootings disrupted city life on Wednesday as police issued alerts to look for the suspect. The Memphis Area Transit Authority suspended its bus and streetcar service.to quoteactive sniper danger.
AutoZone Park in downtown Memphis was evacuated during a minor league baseball game hosted by the Redbirds, WMC-TV reported. According to the information, the second suspended double leg game would resume on Thursday afternoon.Team-Website.
The shooting took place on the same day that the alleged manKidnap and kill Memphis teacher Eliza "Liza" FletcherShe was temporarily held without bail on an added murder charge after her body was identified.
Cleotha Hendersonis accused of killing Fletcher on Friday.
Fletcher's disappearance sparked an intense manhunt spurred by police surveillance video showing her being forced into a pickup truck as she ran, leading to Henderson's arrest near her Memphis home on Saturday.
Fletcher's body was found on Monday near an empty row house and publicly identified on Tuesday, authorities said.
The teacher's violent death reverberated in the Tennessee city, which was rocked again by shootings on Wednesday.
"We have to stop this madness. We are pointing fingers... My question to everyone, before you point fingers, ask yourself, what are you doing?" Community activist Stevie Moore saidWMC TV, subsidiary of CNNWednesday night
CNN's Ray Sanchez, Steven Almasy, and Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.