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Four people were dead and three wounded after a 19-year-old man went on a shooting spree in Memphis, Tennessee, the city’s police department said in a media briefing early on Thursday.
Memphis Police Chief C. J. Davis said that Ezekiel Kelly was apprehended on Wednesday after multiple shootings. At least one of the shootings was posted on Facebook.
Earlier on Wednesday, police had warned the public to remain indoors until he was detained, after alerting them about an armed and dangerous man responsible for multiple shootings.
“We are getting reports he is recording his actions on Facebook,” police said then.
One brief video posted on Facebook showed a man rambling “this is for real” and using coarse language as he opened the door of a shop and fired twice at the first person to come into view. Reuters could not verify the video’s authenticity.
Local reports revealed that Kelly was arrested after he crashed a vehicle he had stolen. Kelly had apprehended the vehicle after he pretended to be injured and shot a woman driver who had apparently stopped to help.
The tragedy comes days after another horrific display of violence, when heiress and teacher Eliza Fletcher was murdered by a repeat offender.
Journalist Andy Ngo reported that according to police records, Kelly was also a repeat offender. He had previously been charged with attempted murder and was convicted of aggravated assault and sentenced to three years in prison but was released only 11 months into his sentence.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland released a statement following the murder spree in which he called for judicial reform, saying that the city’s “judicial system is too often a revolving door.”
“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. We must unite around this principle and stand up to the challenge of violent crime in our city. ”
“If Mr. Kelly served his full 3-year sentence, he would still be in prison today and 4 of our fellow citizens would still be alive,” Strickland continued. “Thank you state legislature, led by speaker Sexton and Lt. Gov. McNally, for passing truth in sentencing. From now on, 3 years for Aggravated Assault means 3 years.”
Copyright 2022 Thomson/Reuters (Additions for FISM News by Michael Cardinal)