MEMPHIS, TN – Memphis law enforcement has determined a recent fatal shooting to be justified. The incident occurred over the weekend and was substantiated by eyewitness accounts. The man involved in the incident claimed to have shot a teen he caught in the act of stealing a car from another neighbor’s driveway.
Don Smith, who lives in the same neighborhood, reported hearing gunfire near his residence on Tulsa and Hallbrook Street shortly before 10 a.m. on Saturday. Upon rushing outside, Smith found one of his neighbors, gun in hand, standing near a body on a nearby property.
Smith recalled the armed neighbor stating that he had been shot by the deceased and lifting his shirt to reveal a bullet wound. The same neighbor told Smith that he had returned fire, striking and killing the younger assailant.
The events that led up to the deadly shooting began with the teenager attempting to steal a vehicle, Smith reported. When the armed neighbor confronted the would-be car thief, the teenager allegedly turned and fired at him.
The home of the neighbor involved in the shooting had been hit by bullets on several different occasions. In a report to the police, the neighbor stated that he believed these attacks to be acts of retribution for an earlier shooting.
The teen involved in the fatal shooting has not been formally identified, and the neighbor, who sustained injuries, was treated at a local hospital and released.