MEMPHIS, Tenn —
Nearly 30 children have been killed in Memphis this year.
Thursday, Memphis Police identified the latest young victim as 12-year-old Tashun Hodrick, who was killed Wednesday night in a drive-by shooting.
This disturbing news comes as the University of Memphis Public Safety Institute releases new data showing gun crimes are up since the pandemic.
“I think we’ve become desensitized to the killings of our youth,” said Stevie Moore, Founder of Freedom from Unnecessary Negatives.
A $50,000 reward remains in place from the U.S. Marshals Service for information that leads to the arrest of the killers of eight children in Memphis.
“We lost another child yesterday. 29 children have been killed in Memphis. Have been victims of murder this year,” said MPD Director, Mike Rallings.
You may remember some of those unsolved cases, like Jadon Knox, who was shot January of 2020 while standing on a porch on Josephine Avenue.
And Ashlynn Lucket and her cousin Lequan Boyd who were shot at their home on Kirby Mills Cove.
“Why black children lives don’t matter? Why are we so quiet as a community, we should be in outrage right now,” Moore explained.
Moore is calling on members of Memphis clergy to meet Friday morning to address the killings of children in the city publicly after Hodrick’s murder Wednesday on Looney.
“The boy wasn’t a target, but somebody knew something was going down in our communities. We know where the guns at, even in our own families. We know who got the guns and use them for the wrong reasons,” Moore stressed.
He says the solution starts by speaking up when you see something happening. He suggests calling his organization crime tip line at 901-417-7361.
“If you don’t want to call the police, call that number and let us reach out, it’s anonymous. You don’t have to leave your phone number; you don’t have to say your name. You can block your name out. Just call,” Moore explained.
The press conference to address this issue is Friday at 10:00 a.m. at 3214 South Third Street.