MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE — Three people were shot in an Applebee’s parking lot Wednesday afternoon, two with critical injuries, after police say an armed customer inside the restaurant went outside after noticing a vehicle pull up next to his and attempt entry into that vehicle.
UPDATE: A man inside Applebee’s saw a car parked next to his car as the driver began to break into his vehicle. The man exited Applebee’s to confront the suspects. Gunfire was exchanged. The car used in this crime was stolen out of Memphis on 11/03/21, just before this incident. Detectives were later notified that Charterio Porter, 19, was admitted to a local hospital with a gunshot wound. Suspect Porter’s charges are Criminal Attempt: 2nd Degree Murder, Theft of Property: 10k060k, Employment of a Firearm, Aggravated Assault, and Reckless Endangerment: T/W Deadly Weapon. Call CrimeStoppers at 901-528-CASH with any information.
via twitter
One of the injured was the Applebee’s general manager, who had been shot in the arm. It is not immediately clear who the other two victims were, but a local news story indicates that some victims were customers caught in the crossfire.
SCSO is on the scene of a shooting on the Applebee’s parking lot at 3895 Hacks Cross Rd. Three people were injured, two of which were transported critical to ROH. The shooter left the scene in a vehicle which deputies are working now to identify.
— ShelbyTNSheriff (@ShelbyTNSheriff) November 3, 2021
— ShelbyTNSheriff (@ShelbyTNSheriff) November 4, 2021
The armed customer who made the decision to go out in order to confront the suspects was not the best move, in my opinion. I understand the desire to protect your property, but your life is more valuable than a stolen vehicle, the latter of which can be replaced.
We need to be careful with the decisions that we make, because they can have unintended consequences, such as others being shot during an exchange of gunfire. We could argue that the decisions of the suspects, if they had decided not to attempt to steal a vehicle, would have negated all of this. However, we are only responsible for our actions, of which have consequences.
Be careful, make wise decisions, and do what you can to avoid unnecessary confrontation.
