(UnitedVoice.com) – In September 2022, kindergarten teacher Eliza Fletcher went for her usual run in Memphis, Tennessee. Days later, the police discovered her remains; she died from a gunshot wound to the head. The horrific crime pushed the city into the spotlight, and months after the beloved mother of two died, the violence in the Birthplace of Rock n’ Roll remains an issue, and that was demonstrated in a recent interview gone wrong.
On May 23, reporters with ABC 24 in Memphis were interviewing a woman named Yolanda Cooper Sutton about a plan to put a curfew in place for teenagers in order to reduce crime at a city park. She was in the middle of spelling her name for the news crew when a barrage of shots rang out. The woman immediately dropped to the ground.
Sutton calmly told the news crew to “get down.” She continued, “Just stay down and get down.”
The reporter was afraid after hearing the gunshots, but Sutton did her best to comfort him, saying, “It’s OK, James […] Thank you, Father, for the blood of Jesus.”
Richard Ransom, an anchor for the station, described what happened to the audience later. He said the police were notified about the shooting right away.
In April, the Memphis and Shelby County Crime Commission and the University of Memphis reported an upward trend in many crimes. Thefts, including vehicles, were up 42% in Shelby County and 43% in Memphis.
Memphis police reported 81 murders in the first three months of 2023. There were 60 in the same period in 2022. Rapes were up 41%, major violent crime was up 60%, and it was up 52% in Shelby County. More than 70% of the violent crimes carried out involve guns.
Crime Commission Board Chairman Ben Adams told News Channel 3 there’s a “concern over the level of the brazenness” of the city’s juvenile crimes.
Copyright 2023, UnitedVoice.com
