At least 6 injured after a shooting near a Memphis hospital, officials say
At least six people were injured in a shooting Tuesday morning near a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, officials said.
Officers responded to shooting victims arriving at Methodist North Hospital at around 12:42 a.m., Memphis police said in a statement Tuesday.
At least six victims were found, all of whom are believed to have been shot by people in a black SUV. The shooting is believed to have occurred in the area of New Covington Pike and Austin Peay Highway, near the hospital, police said.
Two victims were transported to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in critical condition; one was listed in non-critical condition Tuesday morning, police said. Their ages were unknown.
The four other victims were transferred to Regional One Health hospital in critical condition; one of those victims was listed in non-critical condition Tuesday morning.
Three of the victims were being detained, as they were in possession of a stolen vehicle, police said.
Police provided no information about suspects in the shooting itself or about any potential motives. They said an investigation continues.
A hospital spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement. The spokesperson said no hospital employees were harmed.
The spokesperson said workers guided patients away from an emergency room waiting area so the hospital's security team and police officers could respond. The hospital was working with local law enforcement investigating the shooting, the spokesperson said.
In video of the scene, a car outside the hospital can be seen riddled with what appear to be bullet holes and smashed window glass.
WREG-TV reported that police also taped off a scene at a gas station several miles away. A semiautomatic rifle could be seen on the ground next to one of the pumps, according to the station. NBC News could not immediately confirm the station’s reporting.
WREG also reported that the hospital had been on lockdown earlier in the day while it treated victims. Asked to confirm that, the hospital spokesperson said the facility was not on lockdown Tuesday morning.
