A crazed gunman was arrested after killing four people and injuring three others in a series of shootings in Memphis on Wednesday — including one that he livestreamed on Facebook, police said.
Ezekiel Kelly, 19, who has a violent criminal record, launched his alleged rampage just before 1 a.m. and terrorized the city until after dusk, when he was caught during a police chase at about 9:30 p.m., according to authorities.
Officials said numerous felony charges are pending against him.
“This has been a horrific week for the city of Memphis,” the city’s police chief, Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis, said at a late Wednesday press briefing announcing Kelly’s alleged shooting spree.
Memphis police first warned the public to stay away from Kelly, who they said was “armed and dangerous” in a 7 p.m. social media post.
Police have since connected the alleged killer to at least eight separate shootings, Davis said.
Around 12:56 a.m., Kelly allegedly shot and killed a 24-year-old man in his driveway on Glendale Avenue, the police chief said.
Several hours after the initial homicide, Kelly continued his alleged spree, targeting people at random and forcing frightened residents to shelter in place.
Around 4:38 p.m., he allegedly shot a man who had been sitting in his car on South Parkway East multiple times. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two minutes later, Kelly reportedly fired his gun at a woman near Norris Road and Interstate 240. She suffered a bullet wound to the leg and was transported to an area hospital in stable condition.
Just before 6 p.m., the crazed gunman opened fire at an AutoZone store on Jackson Avenue while livestreaming the attack, police confirmed.
In a screen recording of the Facebook livestream shared widely on social media, Kelly can be seen getting out of a car and walking a few steps into the AutoZone store before pulling out a gun and firing it at a man inside the shop twice.
The man was hit and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Before walking through the front door of the store, Kelly rants to the camera about “no faking, this s–t for real,” according to the livestream.
A citizen quickly alerted police about the video and soon after, the Memphis PD issued a public alert regarding Kelly and the vehicle he was reportedly driving.
Shortly after the alert went out, Kelly allegedly carjacked and shot a woman at Poplar Avenue and Evergreen Street in order to switch vehicles. He allegedly shot the woman around 7:23 p.m. and took off in her car, a gray Toyota SUV. That victim died at the scene, according to WREG.
A minute later, officers found another shooting victim at Poplar Avenue and McLean Boulevard. The male victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
At 8:55 p.m., police found a woman with gunshot wounds on West Raines Road. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kelly then crossed the state line and allegedly committed a second carjacking. He reportedly held a driver up at gunpoint and stole his Dodge Challenger at a gas station in Southaven, Mississippi — just below Memphis across the state line. The driver was uninjured.
Minutes later, police spotted the Dodge Challenger northbound on Interstate 55 and a high-speed chase followed that ended with Kelly crashing the car. He was taken into police custody without incident.
Police said they recovered two weapons from the car.
Kelly’s alleged shooting spree struck a nerve for many Memphis residents who were already reeling from a recent spate of violence and high-profile killings, including the abduction and murder of Tennessee school teacher Eliza Fletcher.
While Kelly was on the run, residents were ordered to stay inside if they didn’t need to be out, public bus service was suspended and two universities were placed on high alert as Kelly continued his violent rampage.
The University of Memphis sent a message to all students alerting them that a shooting had been reported near campus, and Rhodes College, about 4 miles away, advised students on and off campus to shelter in place.
Kelly was ultimately arrested in the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis, roughly 11 miles from the University of Memphis and about 12 miles from Rhodes College.
During a clip of his livestream, he can be seen driving while waving a handgun around.
Much of what he says is unintelligible, but a Facebook account that includes the photograph of the suspect shared by police shows several alarming posts about death.
The account has since been taken down.
In June 2020, Kelly was arrested on charges of attempted first-degree murder, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault, according to public records.
He was sentenced to three years, but was released this year on March 16 after serving just 11 months, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said.
The mayor slammed the courts for Kelly’s early release.
“If Mr. Kelly served his full three-year sentence, he would still be in prison today and four of our fellow citizens would still be alive,” Strickland said.
It’s unclear why Kelly was released early.
I will bet he only shot white people and no news channels will cover this story.
Again, another animal that deserves to be put down.
What this whole article isn’t telling you. Is he went after white people. Just white people. It was a hate crime.
Just another “nigga” doing what they do best…piece of shit.