2 killed and 6 injured in shooting at Memphis park party, police say

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This article was published 20/04/2024 (595 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Eight people were shot, including two men who were killed, at an unauthoritized public party over the weekend in a Memphis city park, police said.

Officers responded early Saturday evening to a reported shooting in Orange Mound Park, Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn Davis said during a news conference at the location. Two men were pronounced dead at the scene, Davis said.

The six surviving victims were transported to area hospitals, police said, where one had been in critical condition and one was released. By Sunday morning, the victims had been upgraded to stable condition, police said on the social platform X.

The shooting occurred at a block party, which Davis said included an estimated 200 to 300 attendees but did not appear to have been issued a city permit.

At least two people are believed to have fired weapons during the shooting and police were examining video footage as part of the ongoing investigation, Davis said. There were no immediate arrests.

“There are no words that can adequately express the pain we are all feeling over this most recent act of senseless violence — where guns were brazenly brought to a park filled with young people, families, and children,” Memphis Mayor Paul Young said in a statement released Sunday. “This must stop. The violence must end.”

The Memphis police initially reported there were 16 people shot but revised the number later, noting on social media that the error appeared to have been a result of “several victims being reported multiple times.”