MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A teenager is fighting for his life after being shot during a robbery Wednesday evening in Whitehaven on Faronia Dr., serving as a reminder of the crime spike.
Memphis Police said the teen and three other men were trying to rob a clothing store when they got into a shootout with the store’s owner.
Whitehaven residents said crime has become more dangerous and happens too frequently.
“Our crime rate is so out of hand now, it’s just pathetic,” said Michael Ray, a Whitehaven resident.
Memphis Police said Wednesday evening, around 7 p.m., four men tried to rob The Spot, a clothing store, at gunpoint. Shortly after, surveillance video from a nearby business showed the men running away, ducking behind cars and driving away. Police said the store owner and the men were shooting at each other. They said one of the robbers who was shot is believed to be 16 years old.
“They’re going down the wrong path. There’s only two places they’re going to end up: the graveyard or the jail house,” said Ray.
Residents like Ray point to parenting and gun laws as the source of the problem.
“Number one: they don’t have respect. Number two: there is not guidance in their lives,” said Ray. “Our leaders of the city should be more careful about the choices they pass and the laws they pass because the juvenile system is just like a revolving door.”
Memphis Metropolitan Landbank Authority President and CEO, Michael Harris, said Whitehaven is growing economically, but crime slows the growth.
“All these great things continue to happen in the Whitehaven community, but the crime is a major deterrent for business,” said Harris. “I’d love to see an expansion of youth services, one that is more of a continuum of care for children…I’m not going to say policing is what we need for our children. Our children need support and resources.”
Memphis Police said the one man who was shot is in critical condition. Another man involved in the robbery is in police custody.