After an early morning gunfire at the door to a Memphis emergency department that forced an hours-long lockdown, six individuals were wounded, including four in serious condition.
Before 8 a.m., the hospital stated that the lockdown had been lifted and surrounding roadways had been reopened. Tuesday at 12:47 a.m., six patients were wounded in a gunshot at the Methodist North Hospital and evacuated to other hospitals.
Two victims were sent to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in critical condition, however one victim’s status was improved to non-critical.
Three of the four victims are now being questioned by police for allegedly being in possession of a stolen vehicle, according to authorities. Outside the hospital, a bullet-riddled silver vehicle with all four doors open sat in the center of Covington Pike.
WKRN reported that a semi-automatic weapon was discovered close to a gas pump at a BP station at the intersection of Raleigh LaGrange and Sycamore view. It is still unclear if the two scenes are connected.
This morning, the hospital was placed under lockdown for many hours, however the lockout has been removed and neighboring streets have reopened. A gunfire happened near Methodist North Hospital early this morning. No hospital staff members were injured. The hospital treated and evacuated six patients to Regional One and Le Bonheur hospitals, according to a statement.
‘We appreciate the prompt response of our personnel in directing patients away from the Emergency Department waiting area so that our security team and the Memphis Police Department could react…’ The hospital is not currently under lockdown.
In spite of the early-morning shooting on Tuesday, violent crime in Memphis has decreased over the previous month, according to newly published figures from the Memphis Police Department.
This month, violent crime and aggravated assaults in the city have decreased by 20%. Homicides have decreased by 16%.
However, crimes such as car theft, vehicle theft, and shoplifting are on the rise.
A police plan to use more retired cops and bring them back on a full-time basis has been announced. It is also recruiting officers from other departments and recruiting a new batch of officers.