MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’s been one year since the shooting spree that gripped Memphis in fear.
Ezekiel Kelly is accused of going on a shooting spree across Memphis and the Mid-South on September 7, 2022, killing 3 people and injuring 3 others. One of those who didn’t survive was 38-year-old Allison Parker.
Parker was a dedicated nurse who was killed in Midtown Memphis, leaving behind children and loved ones from her home and work in Crittenden County Arkansas. The man who tried to save her talked to ABC24 about the tragedy one year later.
“I was coming to go somewhere and hang out,” said Quentin Williams, who attempted to render aid to Parker that night. "I made a detour and came down Poplar and happened upon what I thought was a car accident. I thought it was like a hit and run so I saw Allison, you know, laying out on the pavement.”
Police say Parker was carjacked and shot by Kelly on the corner of Poplar Ave. and North Evergreen Street.
ABC24 was on the scene and confirmed from police that Parker died after suffering multiple gunshot wounds.
According to MPD, Parker was the last of Ezekiel Kelly's three victims to die in the shooting spree, which lasted for another two hours before finally being captured.
One year later, Quentin, a stranger to Allison, remembers watching her take her final breath.
“For like the next couple hours she’s laying there and I’m looking at her and her eyes were still open, you know,” Williams said. “That was the first time like that, that I’ve never seen death that up close and personal.”
Williams also said the tragic night serves as a chilling reminder of the reality of crime and the lack of justice in Bluff City as Kelly didn’t complete the full sentence for previous crimes.
“A lot of times, you know, especially when it comes to like, you know, violent crime or violent priors,” Williams said. “The justice system is giving them a slap on the risk.”
Williams also said he's kept his guard up since that night.
Kelly is in jail facing 28 charges stemming from the shooting spree, including three counts of first degree murder and domestic terrorism. His next court date is Sept. 14.