Four Suspects in Custody after Holland Ave. Shooting, Chase and Crash
This video is no longer available.
JACKSON, Tenn.- Jackson police are questioning three persons of interest, including two juveniles in connection to a Monday night shooting on Holland Avenue in East Jackson. Around 10:50 p.m. Monday, police responded to a shots fired call on Holland Avenue where several shell casings littered found littering the street. Police said within minutes of shooting, an officer spotted the suspected shooter’s vehicle and made an attempt to stop it. After a brief chase, the car crashed into a utility pole on the 600 block of Lexington Avenue. The crash caused several in the area to loose power. Authorities said a 16-year-old male passenger was ejected from the car during the crash. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Three other males reportedly fled from the car and were able to get away. The driver, who was a 20-year-old woman was taken into custody for questioning. During the ongoing investigation into Monday night’s shooting, investigators searched a house at 123 Walsh Street around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday. Two males, ages 17 and 20, were taken into custody for questioning. Officers said evidence from the home was also gathered. “I hope this does bring some peace in the fact that we’ve taken 4 people into custody but we still want people to pay extra close attention to what’s going on in these areas and in any area for that matter,” Deputy Chief Barry Michael of the Jackson Police Dept said. Police said the two shootings on Holland Avenue could be connected to the November 5 death of Alexander Merriweather who was gunned down in East Pointe Apartments. Officers said that shootings on Holland Ave could be connected to several other Jackson shootings this past week. “There is no doubt about it we have two major gangs here,” said Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist. “They’re doing a little battle but we’re getting close to bringing those two together informally and confidentially.” Officials are not saying if any of the four suspects have known gang affiliations. Officers did say they believe some of this past week’s shootings including the shots fired on Holland were out of retaliation. “We have several different sub-sets of gangs here we have Vice Lords, Crips and Gangster Disciples. I really don’t know exactly which ones we’re dealing with in this particular case here but obviously we do have a gang problem in Jackson,” said Michael. The juvenile who was ejected in the crash was transported to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis. He is listed in serious condition. Police said they anticipate filing charges on him upon release. Officers have not identified their fifth shooting suspect believed to have been in the car. Officials said they did recover at least three guns from the crashed car. Officers said the guns found matched the casings found along Holland Ave. Deputy Chief Michael told WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News that dozens of additional officers will continue to overlap their shifts and patrol the city’s high crime areas. He said it was because of the increased patrol, the suspect’s car was quickly spotted and stopped. “Our numbers I know are larger than theirs and we will continue to put people out with in strength until this issue is resolved,” said Michael. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Jackson Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau at (731) 425-8400 or Crime Stoppers at 731-424-TIPS (8477). Submit a cyber tip at jmcrimestoppers.org and click on “web tips”.
