- Three other people have also been injured during this "mass shooting on the move"
- The author of the shots, identified as Ezekiel Kelly, has been arrested.
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| Ezekiel Kelly, suspect in a shooting in Memphis. |
"Mass shooting on the move" in the US: a young man kills four people in Memphis while broadcasting it on Facebook
A 19-year-old boy terrorized the residents of Memphis on Wednesday night. The boy walked the streets of the American city carrying out multiple shootings indiscriminately in which at least four people died and three others were injured. According to The Washington Post, the suspect crashed his car before being cornered and detained by police in the Whitehaven area of the city. He is now in police custody.
The boy, who fired shots in at least eight different locations, both inside and outside his car, has been identified as Ezekiel Kelly. Apparently, some of those places were the University of Memphis and Rhodes College, the latter located just over four miles from the university. Both institutions sent messages to their students notifying that a shooting had been reported near their respective campuses and advising them to take cover and not go outside.
Serious criminal record
Kelly has a criminal record for other violent acts. The detainee had been released this year after serving 11 months of a three-year prison sentence for aggravated assault, police said.
In addition, according to court records accessed by The Washington Post, in 2020, when Kelly was 17 years old, he was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and use of firearms to commit crimes.
Broadcast on Facebook
The Memphis Police Department claims to have heard that he broadcast his actions on Facebook and the Washington Post adds that these images were removed from the social network. An Instagram account linked to the young man was also canceled.
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis confirmed the four deaths at a news conference Thursday, calling it a "mass shooting on the move." He also stated that there are three other injuries, including an employee of an "AutoZone" auto parts distribution outlet who was seriously injured and is in hospital.
FROM THE SCENE: Video shows the moments 19-year-old Ezekiel Kelly was captured after allegedly going on a shooting spree across the Mid-South. https://t.co/3OKscsoXpK pic.twitter.com/qufdn2nyaX
— FOX13 Memphis (@FOX13Memphis) September 8, 2022
The mayor, Jim Strickland, has appeared before the media to show his outrage at what happened. "I am angry, people are scared and angry. This is no way to live," he added.
More violent episodes in Memphis
Some local media have recalled that the city has recently suffered several incidents such as the kidnapping and subsequent death of the teacher Eliza Fletcher and the shooting attack on a police officer.
In addition, other crimes with firearms have been registered in the city in recent weeks, including the murder of a church pastor during the robbery of his car and the murder of an activist during an argument over money, according to Global News.
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