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Background: The Charlestowne Shops shopping center in Memphis, Tennessee (Google Maps). Inset: Marquis Byers (Shelby County Sheriff”s Office).
In a shocking incident at a Tennessee shopping center, a woman was shot multiple times while attempting to reclaim her daughter’s stolen Hyundai Sonata, authorities report.
The suspect, 23-year-old Marquis Byers, faces charges of aggravated assault tied to the event. According to court documents accessed by Law&Crime, Byers is currently detained in the Shelby County Jail with a bond set at $125,000.
The sequence of events unfolded on a Wednesday when the woman, while driving near the Charlestowne Shops shopping center on Mount Moriah Road Extension in Memphis, Tennessee, spotted the missing 2011 Hyundai Sonata in the parking lot. As per court documents and a report from local CBS affiliate WREG, she decided to take action.
According to her account, the mother parked her own car strategically to block the Sonata, intending to prevent any escape with the vehicle. She then entered the Sonata, closed the door, and bent down to pop the hood. It was at this moment that she was startled by the sound of gunfire.
Tragically, the woman was struck in both legs during the attack.
She reportedly looked up to find two men getting into a black BMW. The mother called 911, and Memphis police officers arrived at the scene.
Officers are said to have tied two tourniquets to the mother’s legs to stop her bleeding from the gunshot wounds. She was taken to a nearby hospital in non-critical condition.
Officers reviewed nearby surveillance footage and said they saw a black-clothed man — alleged to be Byers — get out of the BMW, approach the driver’s door of the Sonata, and fire several shots, hitting the mother in the legs.
A woman then exited the BMW and confronted Byers, authorities said. Another man grabbed the gun that Byers allegedly dropped, and the two men left.
The woman reportedly stayed behind to help the shooting victim.
The BMW was tied to Byers and his two associates, who were not charged as of Thursday, WREG reported. Byers was arrested and booked into jail.
He appeared in court this week. It is unclear when he is set to return.