Memphis, Tenn. — Police here say a man who drove through town shooting people, killing four, during an hours-long rampage that forced frightened people to flee the area Wednesday, has been arrested. This undated photo shows 19-year-old Ezekiel Kelly, who was arrested in connection with multiple shootings in Memphis, Tenn. on September 7, 2022. Memphis Police Department Ezekiel Kelly, 19, who was charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder in 2020, was taken into custody around 9 p.m. in the Memphis neighborhood of Whitehaven, police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph said. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said during a news conference early Thursday that charges are pending. Four people were killed and three others were wounded in seven shootings in Memphis, Davis said. The rampage began at 12:56 AM. on Wednesday and continued until approximately 8:30 p.m
There were at least eight crime scenes: the seven shootings and the robbery of a Dodge Challenger in Southaven, Mississippi, Davis said. The suspect was arrested after crashing during a high-speed chase from Mississippi back to Memphis. It followed the carjacking in Southaven, which is south of Memphis. CBS Memphis affiliate WREG-TV reports the suspect got into a standoff in Memphis, refusing to get out of the vehicle, which police surrounded. The SWAT team was called in to assist. Memphis Police say the suspect was taken into custody with the help of Shelby County Sheriff’s deputies. The arrest came about two hours after police sent out an alert saying a man driving a blue Infiniti was responsible for multiple shootings in the city. Police said he later killed a woman in Memphis and took the gray Toyota SUV he left behind when he carjacked the Dodge Challenger in Southaven. Police said they recorded his actions on Facebook. In a Facebook Live video seen by a WREG staff member, the suspect was seen getting out of a car, walking into an AutoZone and shooting. The video was later removed from the platform.
As the gunman terrorized Memphis, public buses were suspended and a downtown stadium where a minor league baseball game was in progress was placed on lockdown. Friends and family frantically called and texted each other to check on their safety. TV stations cut back to regular coverage to keep viewers updated. Police received “a lot of tips” from the public during the ordeal, Davis said. The University of Memphis sent a message to students saying there had been a shooting near campus. Rhodes College, which is about four miles from the university, advised students on and off campus to evacuate in place. The area where the suspect was arrested was about 11 miles from the University of Memphis and about 12 from Rhodes College. Police are investigating a carjacking allegedly connected to a shooting spree on Sept. 7, 2022, in Memphis, Tenn. Brad Vest/Getty Images “If you don’t need to be outside, stay indoors until this is resolved,” Memphis police tweeted before the arrest. Police have not discussed a motive or released the identities of those killed or injured. It was too early in the investigation to discuss how the suspect got the gun or guns used in the shooting, said Ali Roberts, assistant special agent in charge of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Memphis.
Memphis has been rocked by several high-profile murders in recent weeks, including the shooting of a pastor during a carjacking on her street, the shooting of an activist during a dispute over money and the killing of a woman who was kidnapped while she was out jogging. before dawn.
“I understand how much violence and hurt you have to experience in such a short amount of time,” Memphis City Councilman Chase Carlisle said on Twitter. “We are much more than that.” In February 2020, the suspect, then 17, was charged as an adult with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, according to court records. The circumstances of the case were not immediately known.
Records show he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced in April 2021 to three years. The suspect was released from prison in March, 11 months after his conviction, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said.