A man was shot on the 2600 block of Airways Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee as mourners gathered nearby to honor the life of the late rapper Young Dolph. The Memphis Police Department did not publicly identify the man who was shot, but NBC News reports that he suffered "non-critical" injuries. The reports adds that two of the men responsible for the shooting were arrested immediately. A third person was reportedly arrested after a short pursuit. The names of the shooting suspects have not been released either.
Tragically, this shooting is part of a larger issue of violence that has disproportionately impacted marginalized Black and brown communities across the city of Memphis. Commercial Appeal has reported that there have been more than 250 homicides in Memphis this year. The most high-profile example of this issue was the recent shooting of Young Dolph. NBC News reports that the best-selling artist was in his hometown to host a Thanksgiving giveaway. Not long before the giveaway, he visited Makeda's Homemade Butter Cookies on the 2300 block of Airways Boulevard. While at the bakery, video shows two men exiting a Mercedes-Benz and unloading a number of bullets in Young Dolph's direction. Police were reportedly called to the scene at 12:24 p.m. on Wednesday and he was pronounced dead later that afternoon.
“The shooting is another example of the senseless gun violence we are experiencing locally and nationwide,” police chief CJ Davis said, according to NBC News.
Gun violence is not an issue that solely plagues Memphis. The Gun Violence Archive reports that there were nearly 20,000 "willful, malicious [or] accidental" gun related deaths last year. Furthermore, GVA reports that there have been upwards of 200 mass shooting this year alone. As it pertains to the greater Memphis area, there was a mass shooting at a grocery store in Collierville, Tennessee two months ago.
“Our hearts go out to the Thornton family and all who are affected by this horrific act of violence," Davis added.
At this time, no suspects have been identified in the shooting death of Young Dolph.