MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A shooting in Holly Springs that left three women dead in a car and a man dead outside Sunday is believed to be a murder-suicide, the Marshall County Sheriff's Office announced.
Holly Springs Police Chief Darryl Bowens said the shooting happened just before 7 p.m. Sunday, July 14, 2024, in the 1000 block of West Woodward Ave. Officers responding to a shots fired call noticed a black sedan with three women inside, all shot to death. Investigators said a man was found shot and killed outside of the car. All of the victims are in their 20s, according to police.
Investigators said a lone survivor – a three-year-old girl - was inside the car uninjured. They said one of the women who had been killed was the child’s mother. Police said the child was placed in the custody of her grandparent.
Joe Wilson said he's lived in the neighborhood where the shooting happened for more than 20 years. He said that when he heard a string of gunshots, he immediately got off of his couch to see if anyone was ok.
"I heard four to five succession of shots, then a split second later, there was another four shots, I don't know, somewhere between six to eight to 10 shots rang out," Wilson said.
According to Wilson, he knew some of the individuals who were killed in the shooting since they were young kids. He said this incident has completely shocked their community.
"I feel devastated by it. I used to take them to school in the morning when they were kids, when they were five to six to seven. If they missed the school bus they would ring my bell and ask me, "Mr. Wilson, would you take us to school?" and I would," he said.
Wilson said the mother who died in the car was an amazing person.
"Very outstanding mom. Back in the day, she was a single mom working two jobs and stuff. I think she was able to slow down with one, but she's always working and always took care of her family," Wilson said.
Holly Springs Police said this is the third shooting in the last week, but no one was killed in the other shootings. They said the Marshall County Violent Crimes Task Force is helping with the investigation.
Bowens said in the 28 years he's been with the department, this is the single worst act of violence he's ever seen. He said they usually only have one homicide each year.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s Department said they are waiting for autopsy results to confirm the shooting on July 14 is a murder-suicide case.
This is a developing story.