Police arrest suspect after searching the city for hours

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Authorities arrested a man they say responsible for several Wednesday night shootingsending an hour-long search in which police urged people to stay indoors.

The Memphis Police Department identified the suspect as 19-year-old Ezekiel Kelly after receiving a tip that someone had filmed and posted a live video on Facebook. It was not immediately known if anyone was killed.

A neighborhood south of Memphis was ordered to stay in place as police searched for Kelly. The order was lifted after Kelly was arrested after 9 p.m. in the Whitehaven neighborhood, authorities said.

Police said Kelly was driving a light blue Infiniti and then switched to a gray Toyota with Arkansas license plates.

The Southaven Police Department said on Twitter that shortly before 9 p.m., officers responded to a motor vehicle theft and “immediately learned” that Kelly was a suspect.

The Facebook videos Kelly posted on Wednesday had been removed from the platform. Kelly’s Instagram account was also taken down.

Memphis Police Department Sgt. Louis Brownlee said Kelly was previously arrested for first-degree murder, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment in 2020. He was sentenced to three but released on March 16. now.

Police issued a first-degree murder warrant against Kelly on Wednesday night.

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The University of Memphis reported a shooting in the southwest corner of campus. The person “immediately fled” from the area and “there is currently no threat at the University,” according to the warnings.