MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WTVF) — At around 12:20 p.m., Memphis officers received a call that a man was armed with a handgun at Margolin Hebrew Academy, located at 390 South White Station.
The white man fired his weapon repeatedly while outside the school, but no injuries were reported, according to officials.
The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived. He escaped in a maroon Ram pickup truck with California tags.
A countywide broadcast was released, and Memphis Police then received information that the suspect was in Bartlett, Tennessee. His vehicle was located in the area of McCrory and Gary shortly after the broadcast tip, officials said.
Offiers conducted a traffic stop and were able to stop the suspect. He exited his vehicle armed with a handgun. An MPD officer fired his duty weapon, striking the suspect who was then transported to Regional One and is in critical condition.
"I am proud of the vigilant and quick response of MPD officers who mitigated a potential mass shooting situation today. Many thanks to our neighboring jurisdictions for also providing critical information to stop the suspect's actions," Chief Cerelyn 'CJ' Davis said.
Melissa Alexander, one of the founding members of Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrows, issued a statement about the shooting:
“Our family, having lived in Memphis for more than 15 years, is saddened to learn of the incident at the Margolin Hebrew Academy in East Memphis. We and others know too well the pain of a school shooting, especially targeting a specific religious community, and we are grateful that there were no injuries at the school. Yet, this was too close—we need to keep guns away from people who are a threat to themselves or others. This incident underscores the need for action during the coming special legislative session to prevent an active shooting, and we urge the legislature and Governor Lee to find common ground to keep this from happening in our state.”
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is conducting this ongoing investigation. We will update you as we have more information.
