The ruling will allow the plaintiffs to sue the city with a class-action status.

Rev. Autura Eason-Williams, a district superintendent for the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church, was killed during a July 18, 2022, carjacking in the driveway of her Whitehaven home. 

As Tennessee again promises an increased number of state troopers, municipalities around the country are trying to find ways to curb the influence of lead-footed drivers, Memphis included. 

Related story:

Memphis seeing more state troopers not just on highways but on ‘our city streets’

Local and state officials hope to continue to see more Tennessee Highway Patrol officers in Memphis and Shelby County, a number that could be helped by a potential $10,000 bonus each year for any trooper assigned to the area. 

The MPD figures came during an update on specialized units during a Memphis City Council Committee meeting Tuesday, March 21. 

Just City, a criminal justice reform organization that has often drawn Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s ire, has offered to help the City of Memphis publish more criminal justice data. 

“The female driver, who was the only individual in the vehicle, was pronounced deceased at the scene.”

“In the past couple years, the Jail has seen troublesome population increases and has left key positions vacant ... the family of Gershun Freeman has called for a DOJ investigation into his homicide.”

Chapman said he continued to work past the typical retirement age of 65 because he loved what he was doing.

“We have to have this broader view of what we’re trying to get done and what the goal is,” says Cardell Orrin.

The families of Gershun Freeman and Tyre Nichols stood with attorney Ben Crump Friday afternoon outside the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center, demanding prosecution of the corrections officers responsible for Freeman’s death. 

Memphis Police Department Lt. Dewayne Smith, a 25-year veteran, has been identified as the officer who retired before an administrative hearing into his involvement in the death of Tyre Nichols.

In Memphis, leaders seem to agree that youth are able to get guns too easily and that they are seeing a trend of younger juvenile offenders and more violent offenses. But there are varying opinions on how to deal with those trends.

Stephanie Hill, a “fierce” advocate for children and youth, sees the best in the children she works with and also believes it is our responsibility to do what we can to give them opportunities to succeed.

Much of the current framework of the Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court is the result of a 2012 agreement between Shelby County elected leaders and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Justice Department.

In this installment of “Minor Offenders, Major Offenses,” we answer some of the basic questions about Juvenile Court and its basic responsibilities. Because, despite it being a court of record, “there is little standardization in juvenile court size, case management procedures and court administrative practices” across the state. 

Surveillance footage shows an individual wearing a baseball cap with a dark hoodie pulled over his head, light pants and light shoes. 

The library had been closed since Feb. 2, when Memphis Police Department officer Geoffrey Redd was shot there.

The Daily Memphian has identified all 56 MPD officers who were a part of SCORPION, the now disbanded unit whose officers were criminally charged with the death of Tyre Nichols. One local law enforcement leader says the stats show MPD needs more rigid hiring practices. 

As part of our “Minor Offenders, Major Offenses” series, The Daily Memphian takes a look at Tennessee’s only state-run, hardware-secure juvenile detention facility currently in use. Wilder Youth Development Center opened in 1971, and various officials say it needs to either be replaced or expanded. 

The number of delinquent charges against juveniles in Memphis and Shelby County increased 30.3% in 2022 from the year before, according to data from the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission. 

In this installment of “Minor Offenders, Major Offenses,” we look at how lawmakers intend to build on the mandatory-minimum “truth in sentencing” law with bills that treat juveniles as adults in more circumstances. Many of the tough-on-crime proposals pivot from former Gov. Bill Haslam’s moderate juvenile justice reform effort in 2018.

Aisha Stephens, 35, of Syracuse, New York, died after being injured in a stampede after a weekend concert by the rapper GloRilla in western New York state.

In the latest from our “Minor Offenders, Major Offenses” series on juvenile crime, criminalizing students for frequently missing school can actually make things worse: “You label a kid as delinquent, you actually create a future criminal.”

The lawsuit filed by Alicia Franklin alleges negligence by the city regarding her alleged September 2021 sexual assault by Cleotha Henderson, aka Abston.