MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Police in Tennessee have revised the number of people killed in a man’s shooting rampage from four to three after a different suspect was identified in the slaying of a teenager during the tense ordeal in Memphis.
In a Facebook post, Memphis police said the killing of a 17-year-old girl, Corteria McKinnie, was not part of the series of shootings last Wednesday that led to a shelter-in-place order.
The teen was shot as police frantically hunted the man who posted some of his actions on social media. Police said Ezekiel Kelly, 19, carjacked two motorists and drove around Memphis and north Mississippi, opening fire on people.
Kelly has been charged with first-degree murder in one of the shootings. More charges are pending, authorities said. Kelly’s next court appearance is scheduled for Friday. The court-appointed public defender has not returned calls seeking comment in his case.
At a news conference early Thursday—just after Kelly was arrested—Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis provided a timeline that included four people killed and three others wounded.
In a Facebook post made after-hours Friday, police said the shooting of McKinnie in south Memphis was not carried out by Kelly but by a different suspect. Police said McKinnie reported the shooting at a fire station, but she was shot in her car at a separate location by a man wearing all black.
McKinnie died at a hospital.
“During the initial investigation, it was believed she was a victim of the mass shooter,” police said in the Facebook post. “Further investigation revealed that another individual was responsible for the shooting.”
It was not immediately known if police had made an arrest in McKinnie’s killing. Memphis police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph confirmed Tuesday that the number of shooting deaths from the rampage now stands at three.
