MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A downtown neighborhood is in shock after a deadly shooting Sunday night.
Memphis Police said officers responded to the shooting around 8 p.m. in the 400 block of Tennessee Street, near Tom Lee Park. When they arrived, officers found a man seriously hurt. The victim was taken to Regional One, where he later died.
The man was later identified as Alexander Bulakhov, a 32-year-old employee at St. Jude.
The hospital provided the following statement:
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of a valued member of the St. Jude community. Our thoughts are with Alexander's family, and we are working to support them during this difficult time.”
Like many Memphians, people living in the downtown neighborhood like Al Quesada have been trying to connect the dots.
It had not even been a day since Quesada returned home for the weekend before he got a phone call from one of his neighbors that there was a shooting in front of his home.
When Memphis Police investigators arrived, Quesada said they asked to look through his camera footage to see where the suspect may have gone.
“One car pulled up, a gentleman got out and that’s all we can see on our camera,” said Quesada.
The Memphian said it felt like Sunday night was only part of a growing crime problem in the neighborhood.
“We need some security cameras here from the city to keep an eye on this area here because it is getting out of control,” said Quesada.
Officers eventually found and arrested the two suspects in the murder.
Memphis Mayor Elect Paul Young said what happened was "unacceptable" and added that his team has already discussed plans to curb crime before he takes office in January.
Young said their plans involve beautifying downtown to help keep a substantive presence, new security strategies and using data to drive intervention programs to the people who need them most.
“What squares are we seeing the highest levels of incidents so that we can focus our attention there, but then taking our data to the next level and saying who are the actual people, and how can we have an intervention that can change their path,” said Young.
ABC24 caught up with outgoing Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland the Monday following the shooting, which the mayor labeled as "horrific." Strickland reiterated his longstanding ideas to reporters, saying the local court system needs stricter sentencing and higher bonds.