MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) – Parents are reacting after three 15-year-old boys are in police custody after a chase ended in a shooting Saturday night.
“Hold the kids accountable so the prison system doesn’t have to,” said Patricia Gatlin, a mother and grandmother, when asked what needs to be done to reduce juvenile crime.
Memphis parents were heartbroken Saturday but hopeful they would see a change in juvenile crime after hearing about three 15-year-old boys in police custody.
Police say the group pursued the two suspects in a stolen vehicle on Friday night, and they have now been charged with theft and evading arrest.
One of the juveniles was shot by officers during a foot pursuit and taken to the hospital, MPD said.
Randy Hill, a mother of four, said Memphis children need more people to show them love.
“They feel neglected, abandoned, unloved,” she said. “And we’re going to continue to watch as we just witnessed three young boys’ lives being wasted. And for what? For fun? It’s sad.”
According to the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, overall crime in Memphis has been on the decline this year, but in the first quarter of the year alone, the juvenile recidivism rate increased by 3.7 percent, the commission reported.
“It’s really sad because my granddaughter is 11 and I have an 18-year-old daughter,” Gatlin said, “because no matter what you do as a parent, your kids are going to end up doing what they want to do, but we have to set strict boundaries.”
MPD said 124 minors were arrested on suspicion of criminal driving and auto theft in the city. MPD said 102 people between the ages of 18 and 20 were arrested for the same crimes.
So far this year, the most common age group among those arrested is 18-year-olds with 53, followed by 17-year-olds with 37 and 15-year-olds with 33.
Hill said family time and extracurricular activities help keep her kids out of trouble.
“We try to do things that are family-centered, keep them off the streets and make sure they know we’re making sacrifices. We’re making sacrifices so they don’t have to go through the hardships of life that we’ve had to go through,” Hill said.
One of the 15-year-old boys is being treated at a hospital for a gunshot wound and charges are still pending.
MPD says the shooting and its cause remain under investigation.
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