Teen LIVESTREAMS Memphis Shooting Spree leaves 4 dead
Four people were killed and three others injured after a young man opened fire Memphis on Wednesdays and live stream the entire challenge while it’s done.
Ezekiel D. Kelly, 19, is currently in custody after a manhunt showed authorities desperately trying to find him as he uploaded clips of his deadly shooting in real time.
A wanted warrant for first-degree murder was issued in the hours before Kelly’s arrest, with a shelter-in-place finally lifted following his arrest Wednesday night.
Memphis police confirmed to WMC that Kelly was responsible for multiple shootings across the city, and also confirmed that he recorded them on Facebook Live. The teenager allegedly shot seven people, with four of these victims dying from their injuries.
Teen suspect who streams shootings has a criminal history, including attempted murder
Court records show Kelly’s criminal history includes first-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, stemming from a 2020 arrest. was also charged with using a firearm with intent to commit a dangerous felony.
⚠️Imágenes fuertes⚠️
🚨 Busca la Policía de Memphis a un tirador de 19 años, Idificado en Ezekiel Kelly, quien presuntamente deambula solitario y ha transmitido en vivo al menos una agresión con arma de fuego. pic.twitter.com/fbEN46zuY0
– LupitaJuarez (@LupitaJuarezH) September 8, 2022
Reporter Mia Cathell tweeted that Kelly was a newly released offender who served only 11 months of a 3-year prison sentence.
Ezekiel Kelly was freed in March after he was convicted of a lesser charge of aggravated assault. His charges of attempted first-degree murder and gun felony were dismissed, according to Cathell.
Authorities initially issued a “be on the lookout” warning for Kelly’s car, which carried an Arkansas license plate. There was some confusion at first about what car he was driving, as authorities first reported that he was driving a blue Infiniti, which they later changed to a gray Toyota.
Around 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nick Coulter of the City of West Memphis told News Region 8 that the shooter may have crossed the border into Arkansas. However, more than two hours later, Memphis PD announced that he had been arrested shortly before 9:30 pm
Shooting suspect Spree committed at least eight crimes during Wednesday’s riots, including four murders
On Thursday morning, Sheriff CJ Davis and other officials talked about the details of the shooting, in which Kelly committed at least eight crimes in a fit of rage.
Kelly has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, however, authorities said.
Fox 13 Memphis reports that at least two shootings have been reported as of 7 p.m., with one victim shot at a BP gas station and another woman critically injured after being shot on Norris Street near I-240.
PD Memphis said another victim was shot on Lyndale Avenue.
“People are scared,” District Attorney Steve Mulroy said. “Everybody is angry. In times like these, it’s sometimes hard to know what to do.”
One of the survivors is in Area One in critical condition. Two others are in non-critical condition.
City affairs remain orderly, transits, schools locked as police hunt killer Spree
Just before 8 p.m., the city of Memphis released a statement about the shooting, tweeting “if you don’t need to go out, stay home!”
After ravaging the city of Memphis for hours, Ezekiel Kelly, 19yo, is pictured here in this snap with a smile from ear to ear.
Police say he killed four people and injured three others in a shooting rampage.
He recorded one of the shootings inside the AutoZone on Facebook live. pic.twitter.com/IVjkOZ4BOP
– Bria Jones (@BriaJonesTV) September 8, 2022
The University of Memphis was similarly locked down after shots were fired in the Patterson and Southern areas, according to Fox 13 Memphis. The school sent out a safety alert, and announced that all doors were locked for safety.
At around 8:30 p.m., MATA transit officials said buses and trains would also be locked down until the gunman was caught.
Meanwhile, authorities continue to urge people to stay indoors until Kelly is arrested.
The suspect claimed to have shot five people in a Facebook Live video viewed by FOX13, where he appeared as he entered an AutoZone store, aiming a gun at a man before pulling the trigger.
Kelly is said to have hijacked a Dodge Challenger before multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene and arrested him.
Records show Kelly is scheduled to appear in court on Friday morning at 9am