Man arrested after Beale Street shooting

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A man is behind bars after a shooting on Beale Street on Sunday afternoon.

Memphis police officers were called to the scene around 3:15 p.m. where they found a man with a gunshot wound on the side of his head.

When officers arrived, Beale Street security had already handcuffed a man, 32-year-old Archie Mays.

Witnesses identified Mays as the shooter, and officers recovered a gun and shell casing at the scene.

The man who had been shot told police Mays poured a drink on his cart, damaging merchandise. The man then pushed Mays, who fired a gun and grazed the side of his head.

A bystander told police he heard the shot before a bullet hit him in the hand.

Investigators reviewed surveillance footage that coincided with the witnesses’ statements.

Mays is charged with two counts of aggravated assault. His bond was set at $150,000.

Hours later, an off-duty officer was involved in a shootout outside Huey’s on Poplar Avenue after noticing an attempted car break-in.

According to Memphis Police Department, an off-duty officer noticed that three individuals were attempting to break into a vehicle around 7 p.m. Sunday.

When the off-duty officer confronted them, the suspects proceeded to shoot at him, said police.

The officer fired back, striking one of the individuals. The officer was not injured.

“This year, murders are up 30 percent or more. Aggravated assaults are up. There’s something different this year and police are reacting as well as they can,” Mayor Jim Strickland said on Monday.

Paul Young, president of the Downtown Memphis Commission, told Action News 5 this is the reason it’s crucial to make security a top priority for Memphis in May events that begin Friday.

“This is a huge we month for Memphis,” Young said. “MPD and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office are going to be patrolling, every person has to be screened before they enter and we expect it to be very safe.”

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