Memphis teen accused in Huey's shootout never went through new bail-hearing process

The Memphis teen accused of exchanging gunfire with an off-duty Memphis Police officer in late April never went through Shelby County's new bail hearing process, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said.

Harris is accused of a late April car break-in that ended in a shootout with an off-duty Memphis Police officer in the parking lot of a Huey's in East Memphis. Court records show Chase Harris, 19, posted bail for the shootout on May 10 and was booked again two days later for a separate car theft that took place before the Huey's incident.

The new details about how Harris was able to post bail multiple times followed scrutiny of the Shelby County Bail Hearing Room, which opened in February, and Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland inaccurately stating Mulroy's office failed to make a motion to revoke the bond of the alleged shooter in Strickland's weekly update, released Friday.

Harris shooting What events led a Memphis teen posting bail, getting rearrested & getting out on bail again?

"We asked Mayor Strickland to correct the error. He agreed to make the correction in his upcoming Friday newsletter," Mulroy's statement to social media said. "It's important the public have accurate information."

Mulroy's office, the statement said, filed a motion on May 16 for Harris' bond to be revoked or increased.

"Between December 20, 2022, and May 14, 2023, Chase Harris was arrested by police and released by 201 Poplar four times," Strickland said in an email statement to The Commercial Appeal Tuesday morning. "While I appreciate the DA’s office filing a motion to revoke the bond on May 17, it should have been filed earlier, especially after the third arrest which was for shooting at multiple people at a local restaurant."

Harris' latest arrest stemmed from an exchange of gunfire with an off-duty officer, not Harris firing at those dining at the Huey's restaurant. The off-duty officer approached Harris as he and another person were breaking into a car in the restaurant's parking lot. When the officer identified himself, according to court records, Harris fired at him. The officer then fired back, hitting Harris.

Mulroy's statement comes as his office seeks to correct the record, again, about the role the district attorney's office plays in setting bonds.

In a phone call with The Commercial Appeal Monday, Mulroy confirmed that Harris was actually able to post bail due to remnants of the old bail system, and it was not a product of the updated process, which was agreed upon under former Shelby County DA Amy Weirich's tenure.

Harris posted bail after being booked three separate times, aned each was given by a judicial commissioner without a prosecutor or defense attorney present.

"I don't think [someone posting bail before having a bail hearing] happens all that frequently," Mulroy told The CA. "If they do, it's only a problem for a very short period of time because in a week or two, there's going to be an arraignment and a hearing. We can always seek detention at that time."

Harris is next due in court on June 1, where the DA's office has expressed its intent to seek pretrial detention for the duration of the case.

The bail hearing room opened in February 2023, and Harris' first offense listed in the criminal justice portal, from December 2022, did not go through that process. He has not been charged with a crime between posting bail in December until early April of this year.

"It is unusual [for someone to reoffend in the week they've been released], but 23% of people reoffend at any level, even trivial and minor offenses," Mulroy said. "But that's during the year to year and a half that it takes to get a case resolved. The percentage of people who reoffend the same week they get out is really small."

In Harris' most recent stint of posting bail, then being rearrested, he was arrested again for an offense that happened before he was given bail. Mulroy said that separating people who commit offenses while on bail, and not those arrested for prior offenses, is difficult with the technology they have.

"We haven't sliced the data that way," he said. "I found that the data system is clunky. Not just ours, but law enforcement's, the clerk's office...the data system is not particularly sophisticated. So slicing it that way can be a little bit more labor intensive than we might like, and we haven't tried it that way. But I think we ought to."

Mulroy also said that he believes that judicial commissioners, who set bail, might need to look at a defendant's history as well.

"I think in most cases, [judicial commissioners] are [looking at histories], but I can't say for sure they always do," he said. "I think that's their practice, and it certainly ought to be their practice because it's something that they can do and should do. As a practical matter, because of the volume of cases, I think there is concern."

In light of Harris' release before having a bail hearing, Mulroy said he might be in favor of higher bail amounts for people who are arrested repeatedly.

"The only adjustment I would be inclined to explore right now, because this new system has been in effect for only a couple of months, is to encourage the judicial commissioners to lean more into unaffordable bail amounts early on if the person has a repeat criminal history," he said. "They can be secure in the knowledge that the defendant will have his or her day in court within 72 hours."

Elected officials and high-profile Memphians have inaccurately insinuated or stated that a function of a district attorney's office is to set bail for accused suspects. This is not true.

Recently, former University of Memphis President David Rudd was one of those Memphians. In an early May tweet, Rudd appeared to insinuate the district attorney bore some responsibility for a suspected shooter who fired a weapon on Beale Street bailing out of custody on a $150,000 bond.

Rudd later pushed back against those who pointed out the district attorney's office does not set bail by tweeting, "Did I say he set bail? No. He can do better."

"Once again, the DA's office does not set bonds. In a case like this, our office does not get involved in even recommending bonds until the bond hearing 72 hours after the arrest," the Mulroy statement read. "We will continue to seek pre-trial detention where the facts suggest the defendant poses a risk of flight or re-offense."

Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal who covers issues tied to education, access, and equity. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Teen accused in Huey's shootout never went through new bail-hearing process