MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The manhunt for a man accused of killing four and critically injuring one is over after police found him dead Sunday morning. MPD also identified the adult victims who were killed.
Memphis police said at 3:31 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023, they found the body of Mavis Christian Jr., 52. Investigators say it appears he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a white Chevrolet Malibu in the 3000 block of Alta Road.
MPD said the shootings happened Saturday, Nov. 18 at several locations across the city. Four women were killed and a teen girl injured.
- 5:43 p.m. - 3636 Field Lark Drive – Lateisha Bobo, 35 was killed, a 13-year-old (name not released) was killed, and a 15-year-old is critical but stable.
- 6:40 p.m. - 5050 Warrington Road – Ruby Manuel, 56, was killed.
- 9:22 p.m. - 196 Howard Drive – Tawanda Christian, 44, was killed.
Freedom Prep Charter Schools identified the 13-year-old who died as Tori Christian, a seventh grader at FPA Middle School.
"We are relieved to share that Tori's older sister, a ninth-grade student at Freedom Prep High School, is in stable condition and recovering in a local hospital. We ask for your continued prayers and support for [her] swift recovery and for both families affected by this heartbreaking incident," said the statement posted to Facebook.
Memphis police warned the public late Saturday night to stay safe after Mavis Christian was named a suspect in the deadly shootings across the city. City leaders issued a mass text and phone call alert around midnight Sunday as the Memphis Police Department (MPD) searched for the gunman.
Police said Christian was a family member of the shooting victims and fled each scene in a white 2017 Chevrolet Malibu with Tennessee tag number 390-BHTM.
“Unbelievable, that’s all I can say is unbelievable, I never experienced nothing like that,” said Valita Jefferson, who next door to where the shooting took place on Howard Drive. “To see them bring her out, I’ll never, I’ll never, I’ll never forget that.”
MPD said that multiple agencies helped with the search for Christian including local, state and federal law enforcement.
“This outta be an awakening to all of us as citizens of Memphis,” said Rev. Walter Womack, who preaches at Faithful Baptist Church, around the corner from Alta Road.
The pastor has been using his church as a platform to help curb crime through intervention programs. Womack says this is not the time to get discouraged, and the Memphian is calling on city, county and state leaders to ramp up their efforts to prevent another senseless death.
“Enforce stricter penalties and sentences, have more mental evaluations of individuals, because right now we’re in a crisis of violence that’s happening in our city,” said Womack.
The Tennessee Department of Corrections has confirmed that Christian was arrested in 2018 and sent to prison for assaulting his wife and their children. He was released in 2020, according to the Tennessee Department of Corrections.
This is an ongoing story, and ABC24 News will provide more updates to this article as they become available.
The post from Twitter below shows the original statement issued by MPD at 11:22pm on Saturday, November 18.
