Memphis Mourns Lester Street Massacre
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Posted By: on March 06, 2008 Who? What? When? Where? And Why? These are the questions plaguing not only the Memphis City Police Department and local city officials, but the entire world. The Binghampton community, a low-income neighborhood in Memphis, TN has experienced its share of problems over the years, but nothing could prepare this quiet community for the heinous acts of violence discovered Monday evening in the home located at 722 Lester Street. Memphis City Police Department was called by a relative who became worried when no one answered the door at 722 Lester. What the MCPD found is being described by local media and city officials as the worst massacre Memphis has ever experienced. Six people, two men and two women, along with two children were found brutally slain in one room of the home. Three more severely wounded bodies were discovered in a separate room of the house. These three victims were taken to the Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in extremely critical condition. Memphis City Police Department is protecting the children’s identity and their safety by not releasing their names at this time. What we do know is that the children were ages 9, 5, 4, 2 and 2 months. The MCPD has not released which of these children were killed or who the survivors are. FBI investigators are combing the Binghampton neighborhood in search of clues to help them solve this atrocious crime. A reward of $31, 000 is being offered for any information leading to the arrest of the killer (s). Today the police are no closer to finding a suspect (s) than they were on the day this tragedy was discovered. In the meanwhile a community grieves the lives of the victims and the physical and emotional damage that the surviving children will suffer if they are able to pull through. The police do not believe that the killer (s) was among the slain, ruling out murder-suicide. Around the world many are asking themselves the same questions the MCPD desperately need answers for; a) Who killed Cecil Dotson, Hollis Seals, Rene Williams and Shindri Roberson? b) What was the motive (s) behind the slaying? c) When did this massacre really occur? Some speculate that the bodies had been dead for days. d) Where the victims killed someplace else and their bodies later dumped in the home? And perhaps, the most perplexing question of all is WHY. Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton during a recent interview commented that the Lester Street Massacre was an omen for the city to dig deep and unearth the root of its ills. "It deals with family, it deals with neighborhoods, it deals with individual accountability and responsibility for the individual's own behavior," he said. Herenton hoped the acts of one individual or one group would not cast a shadow over the entire city. "It's not the city, it's the individuals that commit the crimes," he said. "They are the ones that are responsible for all these human tragedies." Donations can be made in the care of the "Lester Street Victims Fund" at any Bank of America branch. For more news coverage go to http://www.memphisrap.com/cgi-bin/content/... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/06/... Coyright 2008. Tressia J. Amacher/freelance/ If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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