MPD stats reveal number of rapes city-wide
This was a follow-up to a horrific rape story out of Whitehaven. A woman reported she was car-jacked, driven to another location, then sexually assaulted. We recently requested crime stats from MPD that detail every incident over the last year. I pored over the stats and found the police wards with the highest and lowest number of reported rapes.. In addition to the number in the wards where this most recent crime occurred. There were 329 reported rapes city-wide from April 2014 to this week.
Friday, April 17, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Kirsten Williams Family Reacts To Arrests
Kirsten Williams' family reacts to arrests
Kirsten Williams was the 7 year-old killed last week during a drive-by shooting. Police officials pledged to work day and night to solve the crime. They announced three arrests Wednesday. I was tasked with trying to get reaction from the girl's family. We had a number for her grandmother, but calls went unreturned. It's difficult because you don't really want to hound a grieving family. I searched Kirsten's obituary for other possible family contacts, cross-checked on Facebook, and sent a direct message to a great aunt. Fortunately, she was more than willing to express the family's gratitude for the swift arrests.
Kirsten Williams was the 7 year-old killed last week during a drive-by shooting. Police officials pledged to work day and night to solve the crime. They announced three arrests Wednesday. I was tasked with trying to get reaction from the girl's family. We had a number for her grandmother, but calls went unreturned. It's difficult because you don't really want to hound a grieving family. I searched Kirsten's obituary for other possible family contacts, cross-checked on Facebook, and sent a direct message to a great aunt. Fortunately, she was more than willing to express the family's gratitude for the swift arrests.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Home Shot, Family Forced To Move
Home shot, family forced to move
A Memphis mother contacted us following recent news of two deadly drive-by shootings.. One involving a teenager shot and killed while sleeping. This woman's home was also shot. She wanted to share her family's story now that they've relocated. She suspects a retaliatory neighbor shot the home. Bullets barely missed her two sleeping children. He's locked up on unrelated charges. Now, she's hopeful police will charge him with aggravated assault.. If not attempted murder. I had to send my photographer to get this interview since I was busy on the 4:00 news. Teamwork is a big part of what we do. He did a great job.
A Memphis mother contacted us following recent news of two deadly drive-by shootings.. One involving a teenager shot and killed while sleeping. This woman's home was also shot. She wanted to share her family's story now that they've relocated. She suspects a retaliatory neighbor shot the home. Bullets barely missed her two sleeping children. He's locked up on unrelated charges. Now, she's hopeful police will charge him with aggravated assault.. If not attempted murder. I had to send my photographer to get this interview since I was busy on the 4:00 news. Teamwork is a big part of what we do. He did a great job.
Friday, April 10, 2015
Redbirds Play Amid Severe Weather Threat
Rain threat lowers attendance at Redbirds season opener
So, we were anticipating severe weather on this night. It didn't really happen.. At least in Memphis. I was assigned a story about how the weather might impact the Memphis Redbirds baseball season opener. The angle changed somewhat since weather had little effect on the game. But it often does. I interviewed the GM about the team's contingency plan. It actually started raining soon after the game ended. Interestingly, the Redbirds take on the Omaha "Stormchasers" next week.
So, we were anticipating severe weather on this night. It didn't really happen.. At least in Memphis. I was assigned a story about how the weather might impact the Memphis Redbirds baseball season opener. The angle changed somewhat since weather had little effect on the game. But it often does. I interviewed the GM about the team's contingency plan. It actually started raining soon after the game ended. Interestingly, the Redbirds take on the Omaha "Stormchasers" next week.
Monday, April 6, 2015
LEGO Toys Make For Fun Shoot
CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Crook burglarizing Memphis toy store
The owner of a store that buys, sells, and trades LEGO toys emailed me about a burglar he caught on camera breaking into his store. He had good surveillance video of the crime and was interested in publicizing it. The store is called "Bricks & Minifigs." I had no idea what they sold until I did a little more research. Turns out, the owner had a LEGO mock-up of his store and his daughter even fashioned a "crook" using a miniature LEGO figure (or "minifig"). I put them to good use in the story.
The owner of a store that buys, sells, and trades LEGO toys emailed me about a burglar he caught on camera breaking into his store. He had good surveillance video of the crime and was interested in publicizing it. The store is called "Bricks & Minifigs." I had no idea what they sold until I did a little more research. Turns out, the owner had a LEGO mock-up of his store and his daughter even fashioned a "crook" using a miniature LEGO figure (or "minifig"). I put them to good use in the story.
Jessica Chambers Arrest Rumors
Sheriff: Rumors about arrests in Jessica Chambers case are false
I got a call from the station at 7:15 Easter Sunday morning. Not good when you're the on-call reporter. I was asked to come in as soon as possible. Rumors had arisen that several people were charged in connection with the murder of Jessica Chambers. The 19 year-old was killed four months ago and the case has garnered international attention. Anyway, the rumors turned out to be false. However, I still managed to cobble together two stories on how false hope affected the family, again.
I got a call from the station at 7:15 Easter Sunday morning. Not good when you're the on-call reporter. I was asked to come in as soon as possible. Rumors had arisen that several people were charged in connection with the murder of Jessica Chambers. The 19 year-old was killed four months ago and the case has garnered international attention. Anyway, the rumors turned out to be false. However, I still managed to cobble together two stories on how false hope affected the family, again.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Injured MPD Officer's Neighbors React To Shooting
Injured officer's neighbors react to shooting
I hit the door as soon as I got into work shortly after a Memphis Police officer was shot in the line of duty. My assignment: find family, neighbors, or anyone else who knew him. We gathered a list of about 8 possible addresses using his name. Fortunately, the first two I randomly picked ended up being his home and the home of an uncle. Family members were at the hospital with the officer.. But several neighbors shared their thoughts about the shooting. "Good man," "family man," and "great cop" were among the ways they described the officer.
I hit the door as soon as I got into work shortly after a Memphis Police officer was shot in the line of duty. My assignment: find family, neighbors, or anyone else who knew him. We gathered a list of about 8 possible addresses using his name. Fortunately, the first two I randomly picked ended up being his home and the home of an uncle. Family members were at the hospital with the officer.. But several neighbors shared their thoughts about the shooting. "Good man," "family man," and "great cop" were among the ways they described the officer.
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