Tennessee Man Hit With More Charges in Memphis Shootings

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—A Tennessee man already charged with a fatal shooting that police said set off a daylong crime rampage in Memphis now faces murder charges in two more killings, officials said Wednesday.

Ezekiel Kelly, 19, was indicted Tuesday on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Richard Clark and Allison Parker, the Shelby County district attorney’s office said.

Kelly already has been charged with fatally shooting Dewayne Tunstall in the head outside a home in east Memphis.

At least three witnesses saw Kelly shoot Tunstall at about 1 a.m. on Sept. 7, according to a police affidavit. Clark and Parker were shot later that day, as Kelly was driving around Memphis, livestreaming some of his activities and leading officers on a city-wide manhunt, police said.

Police said three other people were wounded in the shootings. The indictment also charges Kelly with attempted first-degree murder and more than 20 other charges, including reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, commission of an act of terrorism, theft of property, and evading arrest.

Ezekiel Kelly. (Memphis Police Department via AP)

Kelly has not entered a plea in the Tunstall killing. Jennifer Case, Kelly’s lawyer, did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the new indictment and she has declined comment to The Associated Press on the first murder charge.

The shootings had police warning residents to shelter in place, locking down a baseball stadium and university campuses and suspending public bus services. Kelly was arrested after crashing a stolen car while fleeing police.

Relatives have told The Associated Press that Parker was a mother of three who worked as a medical assistant at a clinic in nearby West Memphis, Arkansas.

Clark worked as a campus safety officer at Christian Brothers University after retiring from a career as a corrections officer, the Memphis-based school said in a statement provided to news outlets.

By Adrian Sainz