Ricky Floyd had a productive day Monday, Nov. 16, hosting an auto-mechanic certification course and another Husband Institute event, a mentorship group started by Floyd at Pursuit of God Church, where he is pastor.

Feeling good about the day’s events, Floyd drove to a house under renovation a mile away from his church, that Pursuit of God recently bought to flip for a single mother.

Frayser church expands after donation from Bellevue

He never made it to the house that night. A car soon followed him once he left the church on North Watkins Street. Moments later, his car was shot at six times, one of the bullets wounding Floyd’s leg.

While the injuries were not serious physically, the incident led to a significant decision by Floyd. He resigned as interim chairman of the local Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB) on Friday, Nov. 20.

Floyd said the shooting made it clear there was more work to do in Frayser.

“I feel like I can be more effective to the city by making Frayser a better place to live, work, learn and worship,” Floyd said of his decision. “I’m putting more of my energy in this community. The bullet wasn’t a ‘yes, you should leave’, but ‘yes, you’re right. You’ve got a lot of work to do in this community.’ ”

Nearly two weeks after being shot, Floyd still has no idea who targeted him. The Memphis Police Department is investigating the incident as an aggravated assault, Floyd said.

“I feel like I can be more effective to the city by making Frayser a better place to live, work, learn and worship. I’m putting more of my energy in this community. The bullet wasn’t a ‘yes, you should leave’, but ‘yes, you’re right. You’ve got a lot of work to do in this community.”

Reported aggravated assaults have increased from 2019 to 2020 in the 38127 ZIP code, predominantly Frayser, according to the city’s public data portal. In 2019, there were 275 such incidents reported. This year, it’s 331 with five weeks remaining in 2020.

When the car first started following Floyd, he thought maybe it was an angry driver who thought he was driving too slowly. Or even one of his church members toying with him. The idea of being shot never crossed his mind.

Then he heard several shots and went into straight shock. There was someone else in the car with him — a Husband Institute member — who alerted him to call 911. He did through Siri on his iPhone.

Floyd drove back to Pursuit of God, where he realized he’d been shot in the leg. The bullet went straight through, he said. Floyd was transported to a local hospital, and following treatment was able to leave without a limp.

In the days following the incident, Floyd did not become paranoid, angry or bitter. He credits that to a recent series he taught about love and fear at his church.

“About five years ago, I feel like the Lord told me that one thing you can’t afford is fear, and I think one of the reasons my body is doing so well is because I never allowed fear to enter into me,” Floyd said.

The incident occurred several months after Floyd became interim CLERB chairman. CLERB is an independent agency authorized to investigate allegations of misconduct filed by citizens against MPD.

“We are currently checking with CLERB members to see what date in the next few weeks will be best for a call meeting to select new board officers,” said Ken Moody, special assistant to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.

CLERB brought in a lot of new members since it was revamped several years ago but didn’t go as far as extending subpoena power to the body, a key point by reformers.

Strickland is pushing for state legislation to give subpoena power to the board. The reform was the Memphis City Council extending its subpoena power so CLERB could use it. Well before that, council attorney Allan Wade told the council that they could not, in effect, transfer their subpoena power to another body.

Strickland outlines MPD changes including seeking subpoena power for CLERB

That’s made those on the body even more frustrated. They can only make recommendations to the police director. These kinds of review boards in other cities have more power than the Memphis body does including subpoena power. Officers don’t have to answer questions from CLERB.

Floyd said his decision to resign was also partly based on CLERB adding members to move the agency forward, but also voiced frustrations with Wade and other city council members for a lack of support for CLERB.

“I was not mad at the police department, but I wanted to hold them accountable to the vows they committed to,” Floyd said on what he brought to CLERB. “I saw some people that I felt like were pro-police and anti-police. That was not my stance. Be a voice to the voiceless and to stand for what’s right for the citizens. Most people don’t take into consideration police are citizens as well.”

The time Floyd dedicated to CLERB will benefit his work in Frayser and allow him to spend more time with his family. While he has forgiven the person who shot him, he still wants justice, Floyd said.

Frayser church holds 24-hour prayer event to create change

What hurt Floyd most about what happened Nov. 16 was that it happened in Frayser, a community he’s dedicated most of his life to improving. Though his faith in the neighborhood remains the same.

“If we get enough of us in this community who are invested in real estate, in church and business, then we can turn this community around,” Floyd said.