MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A shooting spree across Memphis on Saturday afternoon resulted in three people injured and left residents scrambling for safety. The Memphis Police Department (MPD) reported that the chaotic events unfolded in just 20 minutes, beginning at 12:03 p.m. on April 26, when officers responded to a shooting in the 3600 block of Faxon Avenue.
According to MPD investigators, a man was critically wounded in the first incident, but the suspect, later identified as Enoc Martinez, had already fled the scene in a silver Ford Edge. The violence escalated quickly from there.
Around 12:15 p.m., just 12 minutes later, police responded to a second shooting at Sam Cooper and White Station Road, where another driver was shot, further intensifying the situation. At 12:18 p.m., the suspect was spotted on I-240 near Walnut Grove Road, where gunfire erupted at two more vehicles, leaving one man in critical condition and a woman narrowly avoiding injury.
“It was obvious that they were shooting,” said AJ, a resident of Highland Heights, who witnessed the chaotic scene. The woman, showing remarkable bravery, followed the suspect’s SUV down I-240 until the suspect exited near Perkins Road.
Within 18 minutes of the first 911 call, police managed to locate the silver Ford Edge near South Perkins and Showcase Boulevard. After a brief chase, the suspect crashed his vehicle near Hickory Hill and Raines Road before attempting to flee on foot. Enoc Martinez, 24, was arrested shortly after, and police recovered a black handgun believed to have been thrown from the SUV during the pursuit.
Martinez now faces multiple charges, including five counts of attempted first-degree murder, five counts of employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony, evading arrest, and domestic assault by intimidation.
Local residents, like Gary Lewis, reflected on the traumatic incident, with Lewis commenting on the unpredictable nature of violence in the city. “I think some people, their mindset, you know, I don’t know what he was doing that day, how he was feeling, what he was going through,” said Lewis.
While AJ acknowledged that police acted swiftly in apprehending the suspect, he expressed concern about the larger issues affecting the city: “The casualty isn’t going to fix anything,” he said, highlighting the deeper problems that remain.
FOX13 reached out to the Memphis Police Department to inquire if Martinez knew any of the victims, but as of publication, the department had not responded.
