MEMPHIS, TN - The man allegedly responsible for going on a mass shooting spree, killing a his own wife, a 13-year-old and three other family members was found dead in his car from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Mavis Christian Jr., 52, has been accused of shooting five people, killing three women, one girl and injuring another. When officers located him in a car in the 3000 block of Alta Road in southwest Memphis, he was pronounced dead on scene.
According to local law enforcement, police were called to the area of FieldLark Drive about a possible shooting just after 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 18th. Upon arriving on scene, officers found three people suffering from gunshot wounds, two girls and a woman.
One girl and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene and another girl was transported to a nearby hospital. About an hour later, around 6:30 p.m., police were called to the 5000 block of Warrington Road for another shooting. Upon arrival, officers found a woman with an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Three hours after that, around 9:30 p.m., officers responded to the 100 Block of Howard Drive for a shooting. Once on scene, officers found one woman with an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
During initial investigations, the Memphis Police Department (MPD) determined that all three shooting scenes were connected and the same man was responsible for all the deaths and injuries. While searching for Christian, police said that he was considered armed and extremely dangerous.
MPD Public Information Officer Christopher Williams said in a statement, "As a father, it breaks my heart. These were somebody's kids, sisters, aunts. These were people, real people. We have to do better. We must do better. As a community it takes all of us, not just the police, not just the community, but we have to work together to stop senseless acts of violence."
He added, "We're tired of it. The community's tired of it and we will not stop until we locate this suspect." Fox 13 reported that two of the teen girls and their mom have been identified as three of the victims.
The mother's name is Kamaria Christian and the 13-year-old girl's name is Tori Christian. Both were found shot to death on FieldLark Drive. Taylor Logan, 15, was also found with gunshot wounds and is still in the hospital in critical condition. Kamaria is Mavis Christian's niece.
Kymarah Shakerin, a neighbor that lives across the street from the home where the shooting took place, said, "They were great people. I don't think anybody deserved that, but especially them because of how kind they were to people."
She recalled the times she shared with her friend as well as the girls' mom, adding "When I would go over there she would care for me like I was one of hers. She made it known that I was loved over there. She basically opened her arms and welcomed me like I was one of hers."
MPD released a statement regarding the multiple shootings. It said, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic and senseless shootings on Saturday, November 18th, resulting in the deaths of four innocent family members and a fifth victim critically injured. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones as our community grieves more lives taken by domestic violence."
MPD added, "We are grateful for the brave, quick and decisive actions of the men and women of the Memphis Police Department, area local law enforcement agencies and especially the United States Marshals/Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force who located the suspect, Mavis Christian Jr., dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
In his own statement, Police Chief CJ Davis said, "Our department continues to demonstrate an unwavering commitment towards ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents, and incidents like these shake us all to our core. We appreciate our community's patience, engagement and support during these challenging times and we look forward to creating a safer Memphis together."
As of Friday, November 17th, MPD said that there have been 345 homicides this year.
Mavis Christian Jr., 52, has been accused of shooting five people, killing three women, one girl and injuring another. When officers located him in a car in the 3000 block of Alta Road in southwest Memphis, he was pronounced dead on scene.
According to local law enforcement, police were called to the area of FieldLark Drive about a possible shooting just after 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 18th. Upon arriving on scene, officers found three people suffering from gunshot wounds, two girls and a woman.
One girl and a woman were pronounced dead at the scene and another girl was transported to a nearby hospital. About an hour later, around 6:30 p.m., police were called to the 5000 block of Warrington Road for another shooting. Upon arrival, officers found a woman with an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Three hours after that, around 9:30 p.m., officers responded to the 100 Block of Howard Drive for a shooting. Once on scene, officers found one woman with an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
During initial investigations, the Memphis Police Department (MPD) determined that all three shooting scenes were connected and the same man was responsible for all the deaths and injuries. While searching for Christian, police said that he was considered armed and extremely dangerous.
MPD Public Information Officer Christopher Williams said in a statement, "As a father, it breaks my heart. These were somebody's kids, sisters, aunts. These were people, real people. We have to do better. We must do better. As a community it takes all of us, not just the police, not just the community, but we have to work together to stop senseless acts of violence."
He added, "We're tired of it. The community's tired of it and we will not stop until we locate this suspect." Fox 13 reported that two of the teen girls and their mom have been identified as three of the victims.
The mother's name is Kamaria Christian and the 13-year-old girl's name is Tori Christian. Both were found shot to death on FieldLark Drive. Taylor Logan, 15, was also found with gunshot wounds and is still in the hospital in critical condition. Kamaria is Mavis Christian's niece.
Kymarah Shakerin, a neighbor that lives across the street from the home where the shooting took place, said, "They were great people. I don't think anybody deserved that, but especially them because of how kind they were to people."
She recalled the times she shared with her friend as well as the girls' mom, adding "When I would go over there she would care for me like I was one of hers. She made it known that I was loved over there. She basically opened her arms and welcomed me like I was one of hers."
MPD released a statement regarding the multiple shootings. It said, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic and senseless shootings on Saturday, November 18th, resulting in the deaths of four innocent family members and a fifth victim critically injured. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their loved ones as our community grieves more lives taken by domestic violence."
MPD added, "We are grateful for the brave, quick and decisive actions of the men and women of the Memphis Police Department, area local law enforcement agencies and especially the United States Marshals/Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force who located the suspect, Mavis Christian Jr., dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound."
In his own statement, Police Chief CJ Davis said, "Our department continues to demonstrate an unwavering commitment towards ensuring the safety and well-being of our residents, and incidents like these shake us all to our core. We appreciate our community's patience, engagement and support during these challenging times and we look forward to creating a safer Memphis together."
As of Friday, November 17th, MPD said that there have been 345 homicides this year.
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Comments
2023-11-21T19:55-0500 | Comment by: Robert
B.L.M. = "BLUE LIVES MATTER".
2023-11-26T14:11-0500 | Comment by: Laurence
Good riddance! He has saved the taxpayers a ton of money.