‘I have no feeling in my heart’: Memphis mom mourns teen daughter slain in shooting near Kirby High

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Just two days after her daughter’s untimely death, a Memphis mother is speaking out about the violence our city faces.

“I ain’t never felt this, but honestly, my mind knows it happened, but honestly, I have no feeling in my heart,” Irene Douglas said. “It’s like I’m numb.”

Irene says that her daughter, Naterria, a 14-year-old freshman at Raleigh-Egypt High, was the type of child every parent dreams of.

“My baby, she was a great kid,” Irene said. “Smart, funny, very intelligent, straight-A student [and] she was running for vice president.”

On Saturday, Naterria was riding with her brother while he was making DoorDash deliveries.

Her brother’s best friend, a 17-year-old boy, was also in the car.

Memphis police say that around 1 a.m. Saturday morning, both Naterria and the 17-year-old friend were shot near East Raines Road and Kirby Parkway.

They were both pronounced dead at the scene.

“When I did get on the scene, I had to wait two hours for an investigator just to come and tell me two were dead on arrival... and that’s all he told me,” Irene said.

Police have released surveillance photos of a person of interest and a possible suspect vehicle.

Police say two men and one woman followed the teens from Knight Arnold and Ridgeway Road.

Irene says her son is traumatized because he witnessed it all and even ran to nearby police for help.

She also says she’s overwhelmed and hopes this most recent shooting doesn’t lead to more violence.

“We need to heal, killing each other, that’s not the answer... that’s adding insult to injury,” she said.

Memphis is home for Irene, but in the midst of so much violence, she’s now considering leaving because she says it’s unsafe.

“The people that lead this city, they need to do better,” she said.

Her wish is spiritual healing for all of Memphis.

“I’m just glad that I had an opportunity to be a mother to such an amazing, beautifully and wonderfully-made bright child,” Douglas said.

No arrests have been made.

Anyone with information about this incident should call Crime Stoppers at 528-CASH.

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