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    • Families of gun violence victims want gun referendum passed in Memphis
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    Families of gun violence victims want gun referendum passed in Memphis

    Harry Posted on

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    Memphis police officers responded to multiple small fires, all of which were arson, and eventually arrested a man they claimed was responsible for all four.

    Amid early voting, families of gun violence victims gathered outside Memphis City Hall Thursday morning to appeal to Memphians pass gun referendum “overwhelmingly.”

    Here’s what’s on the agenda during the week of October 21:

    Man arrested in connection with four fires near Memphis

    Jamie Shotwell, 26, of Memphis, was arrested Tuesday in connection with four counts of arson, according to an affidavit.

    Shotwell is charged with one count of aggravated arson, one count of reckless burning, one count of setting fire to personal property and evading arrest.

    According to an affidavit, police were called to a vehicle fire at an AutoZone store in Riverdale regarding a vehicle set on fire. After this call, they intervened in a fire at a gas station.

    “…A black male wearing a beige hoodie purchased $1.00 worth of gasoline and pumped it into a brown bag,” the affidavit read. “(The witness) stated that the same individual then came back to the store, set the bag on fire, and threw the paper bag into the store. Unidentified suspect #1 set firewood on fire inside the store.”

    The fire was extinguished before officers arrived.

    Officers later responded to a call about a bush being set on fire at the Hedgerow Apartments at Hedgerow and Shelby Drive. Another fire was reported at a Walgreens on the Riverdale waterfront, where a dumpster was allegedly set on fire.

    Authorities say Shotwell ran away from officers when he was located. After he was caught and arrested, the affidavit said Shotwell told them he started the fires.

    Police did not report any injuries from the fires.

    Families of gun violence victims, activists and elected officials want Memphians to ‘overwhelmingly’ pass gun referendum

    Families of gun violence victims, activists and elected officials gathered outside Memphis City Hall on Thursday morning, calling for Memphians to “overwhelmingly” pass the gun control referendum. in the vote in November.

    Memphis voters will have the opportunity to vote on handgun permits, restrictions on assault rifles and enacting a red flag law. The referendums, if passed, would not take effect because state laws prohibit such laws, but would serve as trigger laws if an exception were to be created by the state legislature.

    In writing the referendums, Memphis City Council members said they would also serve as highly accurate surveys that would reveal the will of the Memphis community.

    “We need to make a very strong statement in support of these referendums,” Rep. Justin J. Pearson, a Memphis Democrat, said at Thursday’s news conference. “Having all three overwhelmingly across political parties, across races, across so many different avenues, will make a very strong statement to leaders in Nashville that this is something our community wants.”

    Several mothers who lost their children to gun violence and a man who lost his husband to gun violence spoke in favor of the referendum, saying simple restrictions on gun access and requiring safe storage could reduce homicides, accidental shootings and theft in the country. Memphis

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    Latest situation on the biggest cases in Memphis

    Many of the biggest cases in Memphis won’t return to court until mid-November. But three weeks later partial guilty verdicts were given In the Tire Nichols federal criminal case, attorneys for the officers accused of beating Nichols returned to 201 Poplar for a criminal court report date.

    A hearing has not yet been set in the state criminal case, but hearings on all remaining claims and a date for that hearing are expected to be set by the Nov. 15 reporting date. After the report date Thursday, Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman told reporters that the trial will be held after the federal sentencing date.

    Some defendants are scheduled to be sentenced at the end of January, while others are scheduled to be sentenced in February.

    Hagerman also said it was “too early” to discuss the possibility of reaching a plea deal in the state case.

    Do you have a question for us?

    Do you have a burning public safety question you want answered? Send an email to [email protected] or [email protected].

    Harry
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