Preliminary hearing set for Ezekiel Kelly
A Sept. 27 preliminary hearing has been set for defendant Ezekiel Kelly (left, during his first court appearance on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.) (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
A preliminary hearing was set for Tuesday, Sept. 27, for Ezekiel Kelly, the suspect in the shooting rampage across multiple jurisdictions last week that left six people shot, including three who died.
Kelly, 19, is charged with one count of first-degree murder. Additional charges are expected, but there remains only one charge — the fatal shooting of Dewayne Tunstall, 24 —officially filed in the spree.
Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Case, also asked to subpoena Kelly’s juvenile records.
Case has not yet responded to a request for comment.
In the previous case, Kelly was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, employing a firearm with intent to commit a felony and reckless endangerment when he was a juvenile. These charges were transferred to adult court.
He pleaded guilty in 2021 to a lesser charge of aggravated assault and served 11 months in jail. This was after spending 10 months in pre-trial confinement. It is unclear if or how long he was detained in the juvenile system.
Kelly was arrested Wednesday, Sept. 7, after allegedly killing three and injuring three others.
The rampage began in the early hours of Sept. 7, with the slaying of Dewayne Tunstall, 24, in Highland Heights.
Tunstall was shot outside a home in the area reportedly helping friends prepare a food truck.
Following the shooting of Tunstall, Kelly is alleged to have shot one male at a gas station. That victim, who died, was identified as Richard Clark.
Kelly is accused then of shooting a woman on Norris Road near Interstate 240. She was transported to the hospital in non-critical condition.
Following those shootings, Rodolfo Berger was shot in an AutoZone store on Jackson Avenue. That shooting was streamed to the internet via Facebook Live.
Berger was transported to a hospital in critical condition, according to MPD. He has undergone two surgeries, according to Facebook posts from family members.
Allison Parker was shot and killed when Kelly allegedly carjacked her on Poplar Avenue in Midtown. Parker’s husband died two years ago, and she leaves behind a fiancé and three children, one of whom was with her at the time of the shooting. A GoFundMe has been set up for her children.
A male was also wounded on Poplar Avenue that night but has yet to be identified.
Topics
Ezekiel Kelly shooting spree Jennifer Case Dewayne Tunstall Richard Clark Rodolfo Berger Allison ParkerJulia Baker
A lifelong Memphian, Julia Baker graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
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