2 killed and 6 injured in shooting at Memphis park party, police say

MEMPHIS, Tenn. —  Eight people were shot including two men who were killed at an unsanctioned public party in a Memphis city park Saturday night, police said.

Officers responded at 7:19 p.m. to a reported shooting, Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn Davis said during a news conference at the scene.

Two men were pronounced dead at the scene, Davis said.

The six surviving victims were transported to hospitals, police said, where one had been in critical condition and one was released. By Sunday morning, the victims were stable, police said on the social platform X.

The shooting occurred at a block party in Orange Mound Park, which Davis said included an estimated 200 to 300 attendees but did not appear to have been issued a city permit.

At least two people are believed to have fired weapons during the shooting and police were examining video as part of the ongoing investigation, Davis said. There were no immediate arrests.

“There are no words that can adequately express the pain we are all feeling over this most recent act of senseless violence — where guns were brazenly brought to a park filled with young people, families, and children,” Memphis Mayor Paul Young said in a statement released Sunday. “This must stop. The violence must end.”