President Trump is escalating his use of the National Guard to crack down on crime in major cities. He appeared to shelve plans to send troops to Chicago, but said he will send them to Memphis instead.
As Donald Trump threatens to deploy national guard units to Chicago and Baltimore, ostensibly to quell violence, a pattern has emerged as he describes which cities he talks about.
Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Baltimore.
But not Jackson, Birmingham, St Louis or Memphis.
An analysis of crime trends over the last four years shows two things. First, violent crime rates in America’s big cities have been falling over the last two years, and at an even greater rate over the last six months. The decrease in violence in America is unprecedented.
Second, crime in large cities in the aggregate is lower in states with Democratic leadership. But the president focuses his ire almost exclusively on large blue cities in blue states, sidestepping political conflict with red Republican governors.
The four cities of populations larger than 100,000 with the highest murder rates in 2024 are in Republican states: Jackson, Mississippi (78.7 per 100,000 residents), Birmingham, Alabama (58.8), St Louis, Missouri (54.1) and Memphis, Tennessee (40.6).
On Tuesday, Trump called Chicago “the most dangerous city in the world”, and pledged to send military troops there, as well as to Baltimore. “I have an obligation. This isn’t a political thing,” he said at a press conference. “I have an obligation when 20 people are killed over the last two and a half weeks and 75 are shot with bullets.”
When talking about crime in Chicago, Trump regularly refers to the number of people who may have been shot and killed there. But Chicago has a population of about 2.7 million, which is larger than each of the least-populous 15 states. It is roughly the same population as Mississippi. Chicago’s homicide rate for 2024 was 17.5 murders for every 100,000 residents, only a few points higher than that of the state of Louisiana, which was 14.5 per 100,000 in 2024.
As has become tradition, news outlets reported how many people were killed in Chicago over the Labor Day weekend. At Louisiana’s rates, one would predict almost twice as many people to have been murdered there over the long weekend.
But those numbers are harder to count. Chicago police report a single figure. One has to scour a hundred local news sites around Louisiana to aggregate the count for comparison.
Notably, Trump discussed sending troops to New Orleans this week. “We’re making a determination now,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “Do we go to Chicago or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to straighten out a very nice section of this country that’s become quite, you know, quite tough, quite bad?”
And Landry signaled his willingness to accede. “We will take President Trump’s help from New Orleans to Shreveport!” he wrote on X, posting a clip of the exchange.
Still, Chicago is bracing to be the next city targeted by the Trump administration. To date this year, 278 people have been killed in Chicago, 118 fewer people killed when compared with 2024. It is at pace for 412 deaths for the year, which would be a rate of about 15 per 100,000 residents. The rate is likely to be lower still than that, because homicide rates increase during summer months.
The Windy City ranked 37th in homicide rate in 2024 for cities larger than 50,000 residents in the United States. For cities with more than 100,000 residents, it placed 14th. This year, it is likely to slide farther down the list, even as violence falls to 60-year lows.
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As reported by the FBI’s crime data unit in August, the United States had a homicide rate of about 4.6 per 100,000 residents in 2024. It is the lowest figure since 2014, and very close to the generational lows of 4 to 4.5 per 100,000 last experienced in the early 1960s. The pandemic wave of increased violence has largely receded.
“We know that across the nation [violence is] going down,” said Dr Thaddeus Johnson, a former Tennessee police officer and senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, a policy thinktank.
The 2024 homicide rate in the US decreased by about 15%, one of the largest drops in American history. Most of that decrease can be attributed to declines in the largest cities, Johnson said.
Criminal justice researchers tend to place higher value on murder rates than other indicators of violent crime, because murder statistics are harder to manipulate. “It’s the most trustworthy data point,” Johnson said. But it’s not the only data point. “When you start talking about aggravated assaults and robberies, generally, we’ve seen that going down across the nation as well.”
Both Chicago and Baltimore implemented or expanded antiviolence programs in 2022 using American Rescue Plan funding – much of which has been cut under Trump. Baltimore’s homicide rate has fallen about 40% since 2020, and in 2025 is pacing a 50-year low to date.
Violent crime had also been falling in Washington DC by substantial margins before Trump took over the city’s policing. His announcement last month referenced DC’s 2023 crime rates, which spiked during the pandemic, while saying nothing about the precipitous fall since.
In January, the Metropolitan police department and US attorney’s office reported that total violent crime in DC in 2024 was down 35% from the prior year, marking the lowest rate in over 30 years.
The Guardian analyzed the murder rates for the largest 50 cities in the US and found that cities in blue states had the lowest, with just 7.8 murders per 100,000 people. The cities in red states have a much higher murder rate, of 12.9. Cities in swing states sit in the middle, with a murder rate of 10.2.
Baltimore ranks fifth on a list of cities over 50,000 population by murder rate in 2024, as reported to the FBI statisticians. Washington DC is 15th. Between them are Wilmington, Delaware; Detroit; Cleveland; Dayton, Ohio; North Little Rock, Arkansas; Kansas City, Missouri; Shreveport, Louisiana; Camden, New Jersey, and Albany, Georgia.
Compliance with federal rules on crime reporting is incomplete, and some agencies report incomplete data. One notable example of this is Jackson, Mississippi, which has consistently gathered crime data but only started submitting it to the FBI’s system this year. Jackson recorded 111 homicides in 2024, in a population of about 141,000: a rate of 78.7, the highest in America for any city with a population over 50,000.
Though St Louis posted the second-highest homicide rate in 2024, violence there has been falling since 2023, and is on pace today for a 10% annual drop. Its rate will fall less sharply, however, because St Louis is losing population.
Memphis led the country’s homicide rate in 2023. To date in 2025, murders and non-negligent homicides are down about 25%, after a 22% decrease in 2024. Like Baltimore, Memphis leaders attribute the decrease in part to an aggressive gun violence reduction initiative, Memphis Allies.
Notably, small changes in smaller cities can have a big statistical effect.
Birmingham, with a population of about 200,000, has cut its murder rate by more than half since the start of the year. Local officials attribute this, in part, to the arrest of a handful of people accused of violence, including Damien McDaniel, who has been charged in the murders of 18 people as a hired hitman. His arrest in October – and that of four other people who are linked to him – coincides with a 55% drop in Birmingham’s homicide rate since.
A judge ordered a new trial Thursday for three former Memphis police officers who were convicted of federal charges in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, after defense lawyers argued that another judge who presided over their trial was biased in his belief that at least one of the men was in a gang.
U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman issued the order for a new trial for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who were found guilty in October 2024 of obstruction of justice through witness tampering.
The ruling marks the latest setback for prosecutors in a case that shocked the country when videos were released showing officers violently kicking and punching Nichols during a traffic stop. The officers who have been granted a new trial in the federal case were acquitted of state murder charges in May. And last year, federal prosecutors were unable to secure convictions on the most severe counts against Bean and Smith.
Two other officers charged, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty before the federal trial.
Lipman took over the case in June after U.S. District Judge Mark S. Norris, who presided over the case and the trial, recused himself days before the sentencings of the five officers.
In a statement shared by his judicial office Thursday, Norris said, “Because of the code of judicial conduct, I cannot make a statement on this matter.”
In her order, Lipman cited a notice filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office saying Norris expressed a theory that at least one of the officers was in a gang.
The notice discussed an incident in which Norris’ law clerk was shot during a car theft days after the trial ended. The clerk was staying at the home of another law clerk who had previously worked for Norris on the Nichols case, it said.
The notice also said police investigators believed some juveniles committed the shooting; that Norris wanted those responsible held accountable; and that he “evidenced reasonable frustration with the police investigation.”
Norris met with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and an FBI agent, who explained why no federal charges would be brought in the clerk’s shooting.
Norris indicated that he believed at least one of the former officers was in a gang and that it was responsible for the shooting, the notice said. It also said the U.S. Attorney stated that Norris told those present that the clerk “had been seen by one or more of the Defendants during the trial.”
An assistant U.S. attorney who attended the May 30 meeting also said she remembered that Norris told her he could not meet with police to give a statement because the department was “infiltrated to the top with gang members,” the notice said.
Bean, Haley, and Smith filed motions seeking a new trial, arguing that Norris was biased and violated their rights to due process by presiding over the case.
Smith’s lawyer said there was no “suggestion or one hint in the federal discovery process or the federal trial that any defendant or any member of the Memphis Police Department was in any way affiliated with an illegal street gang either through membership or relationship.”
Haley’s lawyer wrote that “Judge Norris made the gang statements on at least two occasions, demonstrating that it is a firmly held belief, not an off-hand remark.”
Lipman also unsealed several filings made before and after Norris recused himself. In one of them, federal prosecutors argued that there was no evidence that he “harbored any bias before or during trial, let alone the type of extreme bias that would warrant the extraordinary remedy of a new trial.”
Lipman found that while a review showed Norris’ decisions throughout the trial were “sound, fair, and grounded firmly in the law,” a new trial is necessary “because the risk of bias here is too high to be constitutionally tolerable.”
A date for the retrial has not been set. Lipman ordered lawyers to submit positions on what charges they believe need to be tried.
Smith’s attorney, Martin Zummach, said Lipman “did the right thing.” Bean’s lawyer declined to comment, and Haley’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request. Memphis police also declined to comment.
Bean, Haley and Smith were found guilty of trying to cover up the beating by failing to say that they or their colleagues punched and kicked Nichols and broke police department rules when they did not include complete and accurate statements about what type of force they used.
Bean and Smith were acquitted of more serious civil rights charges, however.
Haley was found guilty of violating Nichols’ civil rights by causing bodily injury and showing deliberate indifference to medical needs and also conspiracy to tamper with witnesses.
Bean, Haley and Smith were acquitted in May of all state charges, including second-degree murder. Haley is in federal custody, but Bean and Smith are on limited release.
Martin and Mills pleaded guilty in federal court last year to violating Nichols’ civil rights by causing death and conspiracy to witness tamper. They did not stand trial in federal court with their former colleagues.
Martin and Mills also avoided a state court trial after reaching agreements to plead guilty.
The officers were part of a crime suppression team called the Scorpion Unit that was disbanded weeks after Nichols died.
On Jan. 7, 2023, officers yanked Nichols from his car and then pepper-sprayed and hit the 29-year-old Black man with a Taser. Nichols fled, and when the five officers, who also are Black, caught up with him, they punched, kicked and hit him with a police baton. Nichols called out for his mother during the beating, which took place steps from his home.
He died three days later.
Video of the beating captured by a police pole camera also showed the officers milling about, talking and laughing as Nichols struggled with his injuries.
It prompted intense scrutiny of police in Memphis, nationwide protests and renewed calls for police reform.
Norris is a former Republican state senator who was confirmed as a U.S. district judge in West Tennessee in October 2018 after being nominated by President Trump.
When you visit the Shop and Save in Memphis, Tennessee, you’ll hear laughter, conversation — and WDIA.
For more than 75 years, listeners have been loyal to America’s first all-Black radio station. For 42 of those years, they’ve been loyal to host Bev Johnson.
“She’s connected to the community,” one listener said.
“The queen,” another said.
Johnson spoke to CBS News about what’s behind her continued success and why people turn to WDIA.
“I think people want to know, they want to become educated and WDIA has always done that,” said Johnson, who’s lived in Memphis since her college days. “I’m also known as ‘your girlfriend.’ And you know how you can tell your girlfriend stuff? Well, they tell me things.”
WDIA signed on in June 1947 at 730 AM in Memphis. At first, it was just another small station, owned by two white men, according to the National Civil Rights Museum. They tried all sorts of programming — country, light pop, even classical — but nothing stuck.
Then, they made a move that would change radio forever. In late 1948, they hired Nat D. Williams, a beloved African American high school teacher and columnist, to host his own show, according to the Radio Hall of Fame.
WDIA wasn’t just about music. It was a lifeline and a loudspeaker for Black Memphis. They aired news that mainstream outlets largely ignored, including stories of police brutality, unfair housing and civil rights activism, according to the station.
“We were giving them the information that they couldn’t get anywhere else,” Johnson said.
Bev Johnson broadcasting from WDIA.
CBS News
The station also promoted Black-owned businesses and organized charity drives, like the Goodwill Fund, which raised money for things like school supplies, scholarships and medical care for Black children.
It spearheaded efforts to save Memphis’ Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. Two decades later, WDIA started a foundation for the cause, raising money over the air, Johnson said.
The Lorraine Motel became the National Civil Rights Museum in 1991.
Today, Johnson, along with a rotation of expert guests, offers critical information from Memphis’ own doctors, lawyers and community leaders.
“A lot of times my guests give information that our listeners, they can’t afford it,” Johnson said.
In Memphis, one in five people live below the poverty line, according to the University of Memphis. When a problem arises, they may not know where to look — but they always have WDIA.
That’s why attorneys Monika Johnson and Ursula Woods are regulars on the show.
“It makes a difference when you have the knowledge,” Monika Johnson said.
As for Bev Johnson, Woods said, “What you see on air is what you also see off air, which is someone who truly understands the community — their needs and their desires and the things that make them laugh.”
“Bev has a way of making everybody feel like family. I don’t care who you are,” Monika Johnson said.
After over four decades, Bev Johnson says she’s not done yet.
“I think I still have some work to do to talk to some folks, to put them on the right track, give them a little wisdom,” she said.
James Brown is a special correspondent for CBS News. Brown has served as host for the CBS Television Network’s NFL pre-game show, “The NFL Today,” and had served as play-by-play announcer for the Network’s coverage of college basketball, including the NCAA Tournament.
Another school shooting has unfolded, this time in Minnesota, as a new school year gets underway in many towns and cities across the United States.
Two children — an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old — were killed and 17 others, including 14 children, were hurt when a gunman opened fire through the windows of a church during a Mass service at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday morning, according to Minneapolis Police.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the gunman was in his early 20s and armed with a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. O’Hara told reporters at a press conference that police believe the shooter fired from all three weapons.
The suspect died at the scene from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said, adding that they are still investigating a possible motive behind the attack.
Law enforcement officers set up barriers after a shooting at Annunciation Church, which is also home to a an elementary school, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 27, 2025.
People gather at a vigil tonight at Lynnhurst Park after a shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School, Aug. 27, 2025, in Minneapolis.
Bruce Kluckhohn/AP
Read on to see six tips from experts on how to discuss school shootings with kids.
1. Be proactive in talking with kids.
Dr. Mona Potter, a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist, said that when a tragedy happens, parents should “avoid avoiding” when it comes to talking about it with their kids.
“Rather than try to protect them, it’s really important to think about how do we prepare them for the world,” Potter told ABC News. “And that’s going to be different for the little ones, from the middle schoolers, from the high schoolers, but really being attuned to what your kids need, and making sure that you’re encouraging brave behaviors. Break it down into small steps and really encourage them to take on the world, and help them feel like you trust them and you know that they can do it.”
Dr. Deborah Gilboa, a board-certified family physician and resilience expert, also said parents and caregivers should consider their child’s age and situation when deciding how to talk with them about events like school shootings.
“The first thing to think about is how old is my kid, and are they gonna hear about [the school shooting] anyway,” Gilboa told “Good Morning America” in 2023, after six people were killed at The Covenant School in Nashville. “So if they’re going to hear about it anyway, or they’re over the age of 8, it’s an important conversation to know how to have with your child.”
Gilboa said parents and caregivers can start the conversation with a question, like, “Have you heard about this?”
The next step, according to Gilboa, is to thoughtfully listen to a child’s reply.
“We really listen to their answer before we flood them with more information,” Gilboa said, adding that adults should refrain from telling kids how or how not to feel. “[Telling a child] ‘there’s nothing to be afraid of,’ doesn’t really help.”
2. Be truthful about what happened.
Dr. Melissa Brymer, director of terrorism and disaster programs at the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, said parents and caregivers should be truthful with kids in an age-appropriate way.
“For our young kids, they don’t need to have all the details,” Brymer told ABC News in 2022. “Many times they’re going to be worried about their safety, your safety as a parent or caregiver or their family members’ safety, so we want to reiterate what’s being done to help them right now.”
Brymer said parents should be prepared for teenagers to want a “much more in-depth conversation.”
“How do we talk about what this event has meant that might have impacted our value system?” Brymer said of a potential conversation starter with a teen. “Can you encourage your kids to think about is there a club or some type of activity that they can do within their schools to show and create change? In these times, many of us start to feel lonely. How do we reach out to those that might not have someone in their life?”
3. Take care of yourself as a parent or caregiver.
Gilboa said the “first step” a parent or caregiver should take before talking with a child is to make sure their own emotions are in check and that they feel supported too.
“We can’t come to our kids and have the conversation if we’re a wreck,” Gilboa said. “Then, they’re going to feel like they need to take care of us.”
Brymer also suggested parents and caregivers take a “pause” so they can be ready to talk to their kids.
“Sometimes we don’t have the words right away,” Brymer said. “We might need to reach out to our own support systems and have those conversations, and then we can have them with our kids.”
If a child’s stress levels or response to a mass shooting are hard to manage, experts say parents and caregivers shouldn’t hesitate to seek guidance from their pediatrician, a school counselor, social worker or other mental health experts. Parents should also seek out professional mental health help if they are struggling.
4. Keep an eye out for changes in kids’ behaviors.
Psychiatrist and author Dr. Janet Taylor said children may respond to disturbing news about mass shootings in different ways, and parents and caregivers should pay attention to see if their child’s behaviors change.
Children may experience problems focusing, have difficulty sleeping or become more irritable, according to Taylor.
“If you have younger children and they suddenly get more clingy or want to sleep in bed with you, pay attention to that and cuddle them as they need it,” Taylor told “GMA” in 2022, after 21 people were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. “Older kids may become more isolated or feel that they have to solve things by themselves.”
Gilboa said parents and caregivers should also watch for kids who may develop a fear of going to school, who look for reasons to stay home and who withdraw from activities.
“Ask them, ‘Hey, tell me more about what’s going on.’ Don’t just assume it’s because they have a test they don’t want to take or something like that,” Gilboa said. “And make sure that if you’re really worried about them, you’re reaching out to their doctor or to their guidance counselor, their school counselor to get a little bit of extra support for you and for them.”
5. Remember to keep checking in with kids.
Instead of discussing a school shooting only once, Robin Gurwitch, a licensed clinical psychologist and retired Duke University professor, said it’s crucial to continue the conversation over time.
“A one-and-done conversation is not sufficient,” Gurwitch told ABC News in 2018, after 17 students and teachers were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. “Let your child or teenager know that ‘I really do care about you and I am open to having this discussion.’”
Gurwitch added, “It is really important to check back in tomorrow, to check back in the next day, to find out, ‘What are your friends talking about related to this school shooting?’”
6. Offer kids a chance to help.
Gilboa said that helping kids focus on a sense of purpose after tragedy can help protect their mental health.
She said parents and caregivers should ask a child if there is something that they can do together to help, or a way they can make a difference, either on the issue at hand or something else to make the world better.
“That teaches kids that they matter, that their actions matter and they can have positive impact, and mattering improves their mental health,” Gilboa said. “If we have empathy for their feelings, ask them how they’re doing and involve them in making a difference, we’re giving them the best shot we can of having stronger mental health through some unbelievable stressors.”
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network offers comprehensive resource guides for parents, caregivers and educators to support students. Click here for resources related to school shootings.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call or text the national lifeline at 988. Even if you feel like it, you are not alone.
Editor’s note: This report was originally published on March 28, 2023.
A Memphis jury deliberated about three hours before finding Hernandez Govan, 45, not guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. He rejected an offer from the state last month to settle with a guilty plea, CBS News affiliate WREG reported.
On Thursday, Govan hugged his lawyer and thanked Shelby County Judge Jennifer Mitchell after she told him he was free to go.
Govan was not accused of shooting Young Dolph, but prosecutors claimed he directed the two people who did. The jury was not convinced, however, despite a man’s testimony that Govan hired him to “do the hits” and was going to take $10,000 as his cut.
Govan’s lawyer questioned the quality of the police investigation and the validity of cellphone communications between Govan and the men who shot Dolph, arguing that nothing in the communications directly incriminated Govan or tied him to the killings.
Young Dolph performs at The Parking Lot Concert in Atlanta on Aug. 23, 2020.
Paul R. Giunta/Invision/AP, File
Young Dolph, whose legal name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was a rapper, independent label owner and producer who grew up in Memphis and was admired in the city for his charitable works.
On the day of the 2021 ambush, the 36-year-old was in his hometown to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys to families when his visit to his favorite cookie shop turned into an attack that shocked the entertainment world.
Authorities said two men exited a white Mercedes-Benz and began shooting at the rapper at the bakery. He died after being shot about 20 times, according to a medical examiner’s report.
Four years earlier, Young Dolph suffered critical injuries in a 2017 attack, when three men approached and shot him over “beef,” according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Earlier that same year, he had been involved in a separate shooting where at least 100 bullets were fired at his SUV.
Testifying against Govan was Cornelius Smith Jr., who has admitted to being one of the two shooters who ambushed Young Dolph. Smith previously was the main witness against Justin Johnson, who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2024 after Smith named him as the second shooter.
Smith faces charges for murder and conspiracy to commit murder for his alleged role in Young Dolph’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and does not currently have a trial date set. Johnson was originally sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole following his 2024 conviction, plus an additional 35 years for two additional convictions from his trial.
Memphis prosecutors have portrayed Young Dolph’s killing as part of an effort by Anthony “Big Jook” Mims to get revenge on Young Dolph for diss tracks aimed at Big Jook and the record label he helped run for his brother, rapper Yo Gotti. Smith has testified that Big Jook put out a $100,000 hit on Young Dolph as well as smaller bounties on all the artists at Young Dolph’s record label, Paper Route Empire.
At Johnson’s earlier trial, a prosecutor told jurors Cocaine Muzik Group (now known as Collective Music Group), a rival record label founded by Yo Gotti, wanted Young Dolph to work for them, but he turned them down.
Big Jook was shot and killed outside a restaurant in January 2024.
Smith testified Monday that “I didn’t know anything about Paper Route having no hits,” before Govan told him about them. He said Govan hired him to “do the hits,” including giving Smith guns for the killing, and was going to take $10,000 as his cut. Govan was also the person who told him and Johnson that Young Dolph would be in Memphis for the Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, so “that’s our opportunity,” Smith said.
Prosecutors introduced as evidence dozens of cellphone communications between Johnson, Smith, Govan and Big Jook ahead of the shooting.
Meanwhile, Govan’s defense attorney, Manny Arora, tried to paint Smith as an unreliable witness who would say anything to try to get a lighter sentence.
Arora pointed to previous testimony where Smith recalled a chance encounter with Big Jook. At the time, Smith implied that Big Jook was the person who hired him. After Smith was arrested, his attorney called Big Jook’s attorney and received somewhere between $38,000 and $50,000 in cash. Smith said on Monday that he did not know who had supplied the money.
Smith also testified that he previously heard that Govan might be working with the FBI. Arora asked why Smith would take a job from Govan if that were the case. Smith said Govan was “innocent until proven guilty.”
Govan did not testify in his defense.
Smith is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder but has pleaded not guilty and does not yet have a trial date.
Johnson was sentenced last September to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He was later sentenced for two other convictions from the trial: conspiracy to commit murder and being a felon in possession of a gun.
The trial of a man charged with organizing the daytime ambush killing of rapper Young Dolph at a Memphis bakery in November 2021 began on Monday.
Hernandez Govan, 45, faces charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted murder. He is not accused of shooting Young Dolph, but prosecutors claim he directed the two people who did. He rejected the state’s offer to settle with a guilty plea last month, CBS affiliate WREG reported.
Young Dolph, whose legal name is Adolph Thornton Jr., was a rapper, independent label owner and producer who grew up in Memphis and was admired in the city for his charitable works. The 36-year-old was in his hometown to hand out Thanksgiving turkeys to families when his visit to his favorite cookie shop turned into an attack that shocked the entertainment world.
Defendant Hernandez Govan, accused of orchestrating the killing of rapper Young Dolph, appears in court during his trial in Memphis, Tennessee, on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.
Mark Weber/Daily Memphian via AP, Pool
City officials and community activists pointed to the killing as a symbol of the dangers of gun violence in Memphis, where more than 300 homicides were reported that year.
Memphis prosecutors have portrayed the killing as part an effort by Anthony “Big Jook” Mims to get revenge on Young Dolph for diss tracks aimed at Big Jook and the record label he helped run for his brother, Yo Gotti.
Big Jook was shot and killed outside a restaurant earlier this year.
Testifying against Govan on Monday was Cornelius Smith Jr., who has admitted to being one of the two shooters who ambushed Young Dolph. Smith previously was the main witness against Justin Johnson, who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2024 after Smith named him as the second shooter. Smith had previously testified that Big Jook put out a $100,000 hit on Young Dolph, as well as smaller bounties on all the artists at Young Dolph’s record label, Paper Route Empire.
Smith is charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder but has pleaded not guilty and does not yet have a trial date. Johnson was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in September 2024. He was later sentenced for two other convictions from the trial: conspiracy to commit murder and being a felon in possession of a gun.
Smith testified on Monday that “I didn’t know anything about Paper Route having no hits,” before Govan told him about them. He said Govan hired him to “do the hits” and was going to take $10,000 as his cut. Govan was also the person who told him and Johnson that Young Dolph would be in Memphis for the volunteer event, so “that’s our opportunity,” Smith said.
Meanwhile, Govan’s defense attorney, Manny Arora, tried to paint Smith as an unreliable witness who would say anything to try to get a lighter sentence.
Arora pointed to previous testimony where Smith recalled a chance encounter with Big Jook. At the time, Smith implied that Big Jook was the person who hired him. After Smith was arrested, his attorney called Big Jook’s attorney and received somewhere between $38,000 and $50,000 in cash. Smith said Monday that he did not know who had supplied the money.
Smith also testified that he previously heard that Govan might be working with the FBI. Arora asked why Smith would take a job from Govan if that were the case. Smith said that Govan was “innocent until proven guilty.”
Young Dolph began his career by releasing numerous mixtapes. His studio albums include his 2016 debut, “King of Memphis.” He also collaborated on other mixtapes and albums with fellow rappers Key Glock, Megan Thee Stallion, T.I., Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz and others. Young Dolph had three albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200, with 2020′s “Rich Slave” peaking at No. 4.
In a 2024 interview with The Associated Press, Carlisa Brown, Young Dolph’s sister, called her brother’s killing a “very senseless murder” and added that his family wants everyone involved to get the justice they deserve.
The attack that killed the rapper wasn’t the first time he was targeted. In 2017, Young Dolph was approached by three men and shot over “beef,” according to the Los Angeles Police Department. He was critically injured but survived. Earlier that same year, he was involved in another shooting, where at least 100 bullets were fired at his SUV.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Justin Rose made up a three-shot deficit over the last five holes against hard-luck Tommy Fleetwood, and then made two birdies in a playoff against U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun to win the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Sunday.
Rose delivered another sterling performance, closing with a 3-under 67 for his 24th victory worldwide that puts him back into the top 10 in the world at age 45 and secures his spot in another Ryder Cup.
He birdied four straight holes, and narrowly missed a 13-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole at the TPC Southwind for a win in regulation. Rose wound up making six birdies over the last eight holes he played, the last one a 10-foot putt on the 18th on the third playoff hole.
“An amazing last 90 minutes,” Rose said. “I played unbelievable golf down the stretch. When I bring my best, I know I’m good enough to play and to compete, and to now win against the best players in the world. Very gratifying day for me.”
Spaun showed plenty of moxie on his own. He made a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to pull into a share of the lead and closed with a 65. He also made a 30-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole with Rose in tight.
“I hung in there the best I could, and he beat me to the hole first. Just wasn’t meant to be,” said Spaun, who locked up a spot in his first Ryder Cup.
Lost in his remarkable rally was another setback for Fleetwood, who has become a sympathetic figure in golf for close calls and his graciousness in defeat. This looked to be his time to add a PGA Tour title to his wins around the world, especially when his 35-foot birdie on the 12th was the first of three birdies in a four-hole stretch that gave him a two-shot lead with three to play.
But he hit pitch through the green on the par-5 16th and had to scramble for par. He was between clubs on the 17th, hit a poor shot and a worse par attempt from 7 feet for bogey. Needing birdie on the 18th to have a chance, he drove into a bunker.
Fleetwood shot 69 and finished one shot out of the playoff along with Scottie Scheffler, who grazed the edge of so many putts on the back nine and had to settle a 67.
“There’s a lot of positives to take, as much as I won’t feel like that right now. I’m just going to look at what I feel like I could have done and how close it was,” Fleetwood said.
“All these experiences and these close calls, like I say, there’s no point in allowing them to have a negative effect on what happens next. What would be the point?” he said. “It was a great week. I did a ton of good stuff, and as disappointed as I am, I have to try to find the strength to make it all a positive experience and hopefully next time go again.”
Scheffler has not finished worse than eighth place in his last 12 tournaments dating to March. He played the final round without his regular caddie, Ted Scott, who had an emergency family situation back home in Louisiana.
Rose wasn’t the only player leaving the TPC Southwind with a big smile. Bud Cauley was on the bubble for finishing in the top 50 in the FedEx Cup when he holed a bunker shot for birdie on the 17th hole and locked up his spot for the second round of the FedEx Cup playoffs next week outside Baltimore.
Rickie Fowler, who missed the postseason last year, shot 69 to tie for sixth and advance to the BMW Championship. Others who moved into the top 50 were Kurt Kitayama, Jhonattan Vegas and J.T. Poston.
The top 50 are assured of being in all the $20 million signature events next year.
There was plenty of movement around the bubble. Jordan Spieth never got on track this week, finished with a shot in the water on the 18th and shot 68 to tie for 38th to finish 54th. Chris Kirk was inside the top 50 until he hit into the water on the 15th for bogey and failed to birdie the par-5 16th. A closing birdie left him at No. 51.
For all that was at stake, the best drama was at the top, particularly with Rose. He played in the final group with Fleetwood was three shots behind when Rose hit 6-iron to just inside 15 feet for birdie at the par-3 14th. He followed with two more short birdies, and then poured in a 15-footer on the 17th for his fourth in a row.
“This is going to be a fun one for us to celebrate,” Rose said.
When you think of Memphis, some of the most unique things to do that likely come to mind are the blues, barbecue, and Beale Street. The city is also famous for Graceland, Sun Studio, and the National Civil Rights Museum. While those iconic landmarks are certainly worth visiting, living in Memphis offers so much more, with an endless list of unique things to do that showcase its authentic Southern charm.
Tucked away just a short distance from downtown Memphis, Tom Lee Park offers a tranquil retreat with stunning views of the Mississippi River. According to Memphis Moms, “One of the best ways to get to know Memphis is spending time at Tom Lee Park. With a sculptural playground, giant animals that kids can climb in and around, a canopy area with giant swings, basketballs, and other games you can borrow right from the park, this spot has it all.” The annual Memphis in May Festival is hosted here too, a month-long celebration highlighting the city’s culture, food, and heritage.
2. Discover local foodie favorites
Memphis, TN is known for its vibrant mix of traditional Southern comfort and innovative flavors, with everything from world-famous BBQ to trendy fusion restaurants. Exploring local spots is a unique activity to do in Memphis and introduces new residents to the city’s rich culinary history and its dynamic community of chefs pushing creative boundaries.
Southern classics with a nostalgic twist
The Arcade Restaurant isn’t just another dining spot in Memphis—it offers a uniquely nostalgic experience, blending classic Southern fare with retro charm that you won’t find anywhere else in the city. Established in 1919, this is the oldest café in the city, and it’s been a local favorite for over a century. Barry Pickard from Tailor-Made Itineraries says, “If you’re exploring Memphis, don’t miss the Arcade Restaurant. Known for its sweet potato pancakes and the famous Elvis Presley booth that’s even been featured in Hollywood films, this spot is a staple in Memphis.”
Next-level wing flavors
With several locations throughout the Memphis area since opening in 1988, D’Bo’s Daiquiris Wings & Seafood has gained much notoriety for making their wing flavors fly with your tastebuds. Kelly Taylor of Black Restaurant Week shares, “D’Bo’s brings its finger licking’ good wings, seafood, and fun drinks to the city of Memphis. It’s a can’t miss destination with an array of chicken wing flavors like D’bo’s popular honey hot, plus other menu items including crab legs, lobster, shrimp, catfish, burgers, fried okra and so much more.”
Elevated southern cuisine with a twist
Located above B.B. King’s Blues Club on Beale Street in Memphis, Itta Bena offers a refined yet relaxed dining experience. Named after the birthplace of blues legend B.B. King, Itta Bena is known for its elegant Southern cuisine with a modern twist. Carol Borchardt of From A Chef’s Kitchen states “As a personal chef and food blogger, I’m especially drawn to Memphis’ diverse culinary scene. This restaurant is easily one of my favorite places to dine, where you can savor two of Memphis’s finest offerings: exceptional food and live music in one evening.” Itta Bena’s unique location, along with its elevated take on traditional Southern flavors, makes it a standout destination for both locals and visitors. So whether you’re stopping by for a romantic dinner or a special night out, here you’ll create memorable unique things to do unlike any other in Memphis.
Have breakfast for dinner
If you’ve decided to press pause on the blues and barbeque, Inspire Community Café will be your next favorite place. This local, woman-owned coffee café has a cozy feel that prioritizes living wage jobs for all employees, supports and serves locally roasted coffees, and offers a vast menu of healthy and delicious menu items. Their best-selling Costa Rican black bean & roasted sweet potato quinoa bowl is a must-try or any of their “breakfast all day” items on the menu.
Sip on some wines from around the world
Looking for a sophisticated yet approachable wine bar located in the heart of Memphis? For an authentic wine tasting experience, like a savvy Memphian, visit Non-Vintage Wine Bar on Broad Avenue. It stands out for its unique focus on offering a curated selection of non-vintage wines from around the world, along with expertly paired small plates and charcuterie. Non-Vintage Wine Bar is not just a place to drink wine; it’s a place to discover the creativity behind it, making it a truly unique thing to do in the Memphis wine scene.
3. Try international flavors
Indulge in authentic Indian
With a culturally rich city like Memphis, there is a love of flavors you can find from all over. Although not nationally known, Memphis is said to have some of the best Indian food restaurants like Cafe India Memphis and Sai Biryani Point. These both are family-owned restaurants that bring Authentic Indian taste back from the sub continent. Their daily lunch buffet and its delicious pastries (Indian cakes) at Cafe India are staples. Locals rave about the Goat Dum Biryani and Chicken Biryani at Sai Biryani Point as being some of the best in the country.
Explore Irish staples and inventive dishes
With unique aesthetics, genuine Irish hospitality, extensive whiskey list, and thoughtfully curated dishes, Bog & Barley is a must. Upon entering, you certainly won’t feel like you’re in Memphis anymore, as just about all the decor inside was brought over from Ireland. The menu is a mix of Irish staples and inventive dishes, including favorites like fish and chips, bangers and mash, and shepherd’s pie. Whether you’re in the mood for a casual pint or a full dinner, this gastropub seamlessly blends the traditional with the contemporary, offering something special for everyone.
In the heart of Beale street lies Silky O’ Sullivan’s, a legendary local hotspot for over 50 years. Known for its vibrant atmosphere and unique offerings, this beloved spot has been a staple in the city’s entertainment district for years, drawing both locals and tourists alike. Get ready to enjoy live music every night, fill up on slow smoked southern BBQ pork and ribs, all while sharing the infamous diver bucket with your friends “guaranteed to make you go down, Where everyday is Saint Patrick’s Day.” And just in case that wasn’t enough, be sure to stop by to say “hello” to Molly and Bailey, the live driver goats which can be seen climbing a goat tower.
4. Manage stress with health and wellness
Maintaining health and wellness after moving to a new city is crucial for managing the stress of relocation and adapting to new surroundings. Prioritizing physical activity, a balanced diet, and mental well-being helps establish a routine, build resilience, and foster a sense of stability in an unfamiliar environment. Incorporating wellness habits also creates opportunities to explore the city’s fitness classes and healthy eating options, making it easier to connect with the local community and feel more at home.
Explore healthy food options
Beyond the incredible food scene here in Memphis, finding balance is essential, and health, wellness, and fitness are top priorities for many. “Located in the heart of Uptown Memphis, Black Seeds Urban Farms is a vibrant urban garden committed to providing organic, non-toxic, and locally grown produce to communities with limited access to fresh foods,” explains Leah Freeman-Haskin of Blk Oceans. Beyond its role as a food source, Black Seeds offers a tranquil and inviting space where visitors can pick their own harvest, enjoy scenic walks, relax in hammocks, or host community events. With views of the iconic Memphis Pyramid, this garden is a community hub dedicated to promoting healthier lifestyles and sustainability for all.”
Find an exercise routine that works for you
For anyone looking to try something unique but yet a hidden gem in Memphis, Vertical Allure Studio is Memphis’ premier dance studio. Its offerings include exploring pole fitness, expressive dance, or to simply engage in a fun and empowering activity. The studio is a welcoming safe space to meet others and discover your inner strength. It’s more than just fitness—it’s a vibrant community that truly captures the spirit of Memphis.
5. Explore the art scene
As a new resident, diving into the city’s rich and diverse art scene is not only a unique activity in Memphis, but it’s also an exciting way to connect with its cultural heartbeat. Memphis boasts a thriving blend of traditional and contemporary art, from renowned galleries, museums, vibrant street murals, and local artisan markets. Whether you’re exploring the legacy of blues and soul through visual art or discovering modern artistic expressions, the creative spirit of Memphis offers a welcoming and inspiring space for newcomers to engage with the community.
The Metal Museum
Perched on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, the Metal Museum is a true hidden gem in the Memphis’ art scene. It’s the only institution of its kind in the country. David Lusk of David Lusk Gallery says, “The Museum is all about American metalsmithing, from big iron works to small fine jewelry. There’s even a working smithy and foundry where you can see working artists creating metal art and functional pieces. You won’t be underwhelmed.”
Jack Robinson Gallery
Memphis is no stranger to talent and the Jack Robinson Gallery in Memphis, Tennessee, is dedicated to the life and work of Jack Robinson. The gallery is not only a tribute to his legacy but also a vibrant event space where history and creativity converge. He is an acclaimed photographer known for his portraits of celebrities, musicians, and cultural icons. Located in the South Main Arts District, the gallery showcases Robinson’s extensive collection, including photographs taken during his career in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Medicine Factory
“In this southern city, there is something for every type of weirdo,” says local Lauren Rae Holtermann. For fans of strange art, weird apparel and dark home decor— attend the annual Monster Market during the fall season at the Medicine Factory in Downtown Memphis for its pop-up shop. This market features work from over 100+ artists and makers carefully curated and styled into one huge oddities shop.
6. Check out iconic must-visits
Memphis is a city steeped in rich history and culture, home to iconic landmarks where music, civil rights, and Southern heritage intertwine to create an unforgettable experience. Esperanza Lorena of Urban Darling says, “When visiting Memphis, you cannot miss the famous Beale Street with all its blues history. The South Main Arts District is a really cool area in downtown Memphis with restaurants, shops, and murals if that’s your jam. Then for those who love museums, I would recommend checking out the National Civil Rights Museum. For Elvis fans, you absolutely have to plan a visit to Graceland and Sun Studios where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and many more famous musicians recorded.”
Unique things to do in Memphis, TN: Discover the city in a new light
Memphis has a well-deserved reputation as a hub of music, food, and history. Tim Vimonnimit, owner of the Soi No. 9 Food Truck sums it best saying, “It’s what I miss when I’m away and it’s what I love when I’m here. From the extremely talented artists and musicians who call Memphis home to the amazingly diverse and delicious restaurant scene, Memphis is a welcoming city to be enjoyed by all.” These unique things to do in Memphis are just the beginning of everything this city offers on top of its headline attractions. Memphis is no doubt a great place to live, offering plenty of unexpected ways to explore and enjoy Bluff City.
Three former Memphis police officers were convicted Thursday in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, but were acquitted of the harshest charges they faced for a death that sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing.
Jurors deliberated for about six hours before coming back with the mixed verdict for Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith.
All of them were convicted of witness tampering related to the cover-up of the beating, but Bean and Smith were acquitted of civil rights charges. Haley was acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing death, but convicted of the lesser charge of violating his civil rights causing bodily injury.
The court remained silent as the verdicts were read.
The judge ordered the officers to be taken into custody. He planned to hold a hearing Monday to hear from the defense lawyers about releasing them pending sentencing. The witness tampering charges carry possible sentences of up to 20 years in prison. The civil rights charge against Nichols carries up to 10 years in prison. They had faced up to life in prison if convicted on the harshest charges.
Rodney Wells, Nichols’ stepfather, told The Associated Press outside the courtroom: “A win is a win. They’re all going to jail.”
Fiive officers were charged in Nichols’ death, but two pleaded guilty and testified against members of their old crime suppression unit, eliminating any defense strategy that would have relied on them sticking together. Jurors repeatedly watched watched graphic clips from police video that showed the officers punch and kick Nichols and hit him with a police baton just steps from his home, as the 29-year-old called out for his mother.
Prosecutors argued that Nichols was beaten for running from a traffic stop, saying it was part of a common police practice referred to in officer slang a “street tax” or a run tax.” They said the officers lied — to a supervisor, to medical professionals attending to Nichols and in required written reports — about the extent of the force they used.
Nichols, who was Black, ran from the traffic stop despite being hit with pepper spray and a Taser. The five officers, who were fired after the beating, also are Black.
Some of the most emotional testimony at trial came from one of the officers, Desmond Mills, who took a plea deal in which prosecutors call for up to 15 years in prison. He testified in tears that he was sorry for the beating, that he left Nichols’ young son fatherless and that he wishes he stopped the punches. Later, he testified that he went along with a cover-up in hopes that Nichols would survive and the whole thing would “blow over.”
Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating. His son is now 7 years old.
The other officer who reached a deal with prosecutors, Emmitt Martin, testified that Nichols was “helpless” while officers pummeled him, and that afterward the officers understood “they weren’t going to tell on me, and I wasn’t going to tell on them.” Under his plea agreement, prosecutors will suggest a prison sentence of up to 40 years.
Defense attorneys questioned whether the officers were properly trained. They also pointed to Martin, who acknowledged punching and kicking Nichols in the upper torso and head, as a principal aggressor.
The police video shows the officers milling about and talking as Nichols struggles with his injuries. An autopsy report shows he died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and other areas.
The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty, although Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set.
Three former Memphis officers were convicted Thursday of charges of witness tampering in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, and two were acquitted of federal civil rights violations in a death that sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing.After a nearly monthlong trial, a jury found Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith guilty of witness tampering.Haley was acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing death, but convicted of the lesser charge of violating his civil right causing bodily injury.Bean and Smith were acquitted of all civil rights charges.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.The jury has reached verdicts for three former Memphis police officers charged with violating Tyre Nichols’ federal civil rights in a 2023 videotaped fatal beating that sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing.After a nearly monthlong trial, jurors informed the judge Thursday that they had agreed on their verdicts in the case against Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith. The parties and attorneys were reconvening for the reveal of the jury’s decisions.Jurors began their deliberations Thursday, a day after prosecutors and defense attorneys presented closing arguments. Bean, Haley and Smith were among five officers who were fired from the Memphis Police Department after the Jan. 7, 2023, beating.Prosecutor Kathryn Gilbert told jurors that the officers wanted to punish Nichols for running from a traffic stop and that they thought they could get away with it. Prosecutors argued the beating reflected a common police practice that officers refer to as the “street tax” or “run tax. ””They wanted it to be a beatdown,” Gilbert said. “That’s what it was.”Defense lawyers sought to downplay their clients’ involvement.Bean’s attorney, John Keith Perry, told jurors that Nichols ignored commands such as “give me your hands” and said his client followed department policies.“The force was not excessive,” Perry said.Throughout the trial, jurors repeatedly watched clips of graphic police video of the beating and traffic stop that preceded it. The video shows officers using pepper spray and a Taser on Nichols, who was Black, before the 29-year-old ran away. The five officers, who also are Black, then punched, kicked and hit him about a block from his home, as he called out for his mother.As they held Nichols, officers said, “hit him,” and “beat that man,” prosecutor Forrest Christian said during closing arguments.“This was not a fight. This was just a beating,” Christian said.Nichols died three days later. An autopsy report shows Nichols — the father of a boy who is now 7 — died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and elsewhere on his body.Two of the officers, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty to depriving Nichols of his civil rights and testified for prosecutors. Haley, Bean and Smith pleaded not guilty to federal charges of excessive force, failure to intervene, and obstructing justice through witness tampering.Defense lawyers sought to portray Martin as a principal aggressor. They also suggested without evidence that Nichols may have been on drugs — something Christian called “shameful.” The autopsy report showed only low amounts of alcohol and marijuana in his system.The five officers were part of the Scorpion Unit, which looked for drugs, illegal guns and violent offenders. It was disbanded after Nichols’ death.After the beating, the officers did not tell medical professionals on scene or at the hospital that they had punched and kicked Nichols in the head, witnesses said. They also failed tell their supervisor on the scene and write in required forms about the amount of force used, prosecutors argued.Martin testified that Nichols was no threat to officers.Martin’s testimony provided a glimpse into the Memphis Police Department’s culture, which the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating.Martin discussed an understanding between members of the Scorpion Unit to not tell on each other after they used excessive force and said they would justify their use of force by exaggerating the person’s actions against them. He also described feeling pressure to make arrests to accumulate “stats” to be able to stay on the street with the unit.The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty. Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. —
Three former Memphis officers were convicted Thursday of charges of witness tampering in the 2023 fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, and two were acquitted of federal civil rights violations in a death that sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing.
After a nearly monthlong trial, a jury found Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith guilty of witness tampering.
Haley was acquitted of violating Nichols’ civil rights causing death, but convicted of the lesser charge of violating his civil right causing bodily injury.Bean and Smith were acquitted of all civil rights charges.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
The jury has reached verdicts for three former Memphis police officers charged with violating Tyre Nichols’ federal civil rights in a 2023 videotaped fatal beating that sparked national protests and calls for broad changes in policing.
After a nearly monthlong trial, jurors informed the judge Thursday that they had agreed on their verdicts in the case against Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith. The parties and attorneys were reconvening for the reveal of the jury’s decisions.
Jurors began their deliberations Thursday, a day after prosecutors and defense attorneys presented closing arguments. Bean, Haley and Smith were among five officers who were fired from the Memphis Police Department after the Jan. 7, 2023, beating.
Prosecutor Kathryn Gilbert told jurors that the officers wanted to punish Nichols for running from a traffic stop and that they thought they could get away with it. Prosecutors argued the beating reflected a common police practice that officers refer to as the “street tax” or “run tax. ”
“They wanted it to be a beatdown,” Gilbert said. “That’s what it was.”
Defense lawyers sought to downplay their clients’ involvement.
Bean’s attorney, John Keith Perry, told jurors that Nichols ignored commands such as “give me your hands” and said his client followed department policies.
“The force was not excessive,” Perry said.
Throughout the trial, jurors repeatedly watched clips of graphic police video of the beating and traffic stop that preceded it. The video shows officers using pepper spray and a Taser on Nichols, who was Black, before the 29-year-old ran away. The five officers, who also are Black, then punched, kicked and hit him about a block from his home, as he called out for his mother.
As they held Nichols, officers said, “hit him,” and “beat that man,” prosecutor Forrest Christian said during closing arguments.
“This was not a fight. This was just a beating,” Christian said.
Nichols died three days later. An autopsy report shows Nichols — the father of a boy who is now 7 — died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and elsewhere on his body.
Two of the officers, Emmitt Martin and Desmond Mills Jr., pleaded guilty to depriving Nichols of his civil rights and testified for prosecutors. Haley, Bean and Smith pleaded not guilty to federal charges of excessive force, failure to intervene, and obstructing justice through witness tampering.
Defense lawyers sought to portray Martin as a principal aggressor. They also suggested without evidence that Nichols may have been on drugs — something Christian called “shameful.” The autopsy report showed only low amounts of alcohol and marijuana in his system.
The five officers were part of the Scorpion Unit, which looked for drugs, illegal guns and violent offenders. It was disbanded after Nichols’ death.
After the beating, the officers did not tell medical professionals on scene or at the hospital that they had punched and kicked Nichols in the head, witnesses said. They also failed tell their supervisor on the scene and write in required forms about the amount of force used, prosecutors argued.
Martin testified that Nichols was no threat to officers.
Martin’s testimony provided a glimpse into the Memphis Police Department’s culture, which the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating.
Martin discussed an understanding between members of the Scorpion Unit to not tell on each other after they used excessive force and said they would justify their use of force by exaggerating the person’s actions against them. He also described feeling pressure to make arrests to accumulate “stats” to be able to stay on the street with the unit.
The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty. Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas. A trial date in state court has not been set.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Justin Johnson was found guilty of murder in the death of rapper Young Dolph on Thursday after the jury heard testimony from a co-defendant that the killing was part of a feud between rival record labels.
Jurors deliberated for just under four hours before finding Johnson guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and being a felon in possession of a gun. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Jennifer Mitchell sentenced Johnson to life in prison.
Cornelius Smith testified that rapper Yo Gotti’s brother, Anthony “Big Jook” Mims, had put out a $100,000 hit on Young Dolph and had also put bounties on all the artists at Young Dolph’s record label, Paper Route Empire. Smith said he and co-defendant Johnson set out on the morning of Nov. 17, 2021, “looking for somebody” and “didn’t know who we were going to catch.”
They knew that Young Dolph and some of his artists were participating in a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, so they were heading in that direction when they saw Young Dolph’s car. They followed him to a Memphis cookie shop and opened fire in broad daylight, Smith said. Young Dolph was hit 22 times and died at the scene.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman, in opening statements, told jurors that Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Thornton Jr., was determined to make it on his own as an artist, and also with his own label.
“Trying to make it on your own can create enemies,” Hagerman said.
He noted that Cocaine Muzik Group (now known as Collective Music Group), a rival record label founded by Yo Gotti, wanted Young Dolph to work for them, but he turned them down. Young Dolph later wrote diss tracks directed at the label, its artists, and its “number two person,” Big Jook. Big Jook was shot and killed outside a restaurant earlier this year.
In addition to Smith’s testimony, prosecutors presented a mountain of circumstantial evidence, including from surveillance cameras and Johnson’s own cell phone.
Johnson had pleaded not guilty, and defense attorney Luke Evans said in closing arguments that the videos only prove that someone wearing similar clothing to Johnson shot Young Dolph. Evans told the jury Smith would say anything to try to save himself.
“Cornelius Smith is lying from start to finish,” Evans said.
Smith is also charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder and has pleaded not guilty.
Evans also noted that Smith’s fingerprints were found in the getaway car but Johnson’s were not. And he said there was “no proof that Justin Johnson got a penny,” while Smith testified he received $800 before he was arrested and his defense attorney later received another $50,000.
Hagerman countered that the video and cell phone evidence corroborated Smith’s story. They included calls between Smith and Johnson shortly before the killing and a call between Johnson and Big Jook immediately after.
Also testifying was Jermarcus Johnson, who pleaded guilty in June 2023 to three counts of serving as an accessory after the killing by helping Smith and Justin Johnson, his half-brother. Jermarcus Johnson has acknowledged helping the two communicate by cellphone while they were on the run from authorities. He has not been sentenced.
Hernandez Govan, whom Smith identified as a go-between with Big Jook, has pleaded not guilty to organizing the killing.
Young Dolph began his career by releasing numerous mixtapes, starting with 2008′s “Paper Route Campaign.” His multiple studio albums include his 2016 debut “King of Memphis.” He also collaborated on other mixtapes and albums with fellow rappers Key Glock, Megan Thee Stallion, T.I., Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz and others.
Young Dolph had three albums reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200, with 2020′s “Rich Slave” peaking at No. 4.
A former Memphis police officer charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols sent his ex-girlfriend a photo of the badly injured man on the night he was punched, kicked and hit with a police baton following a traffic stop, according to trial testimony Wednesday.
Brittany Leake, a Memphis officer and Demetrius Haley’s former girlfriend, testified during the criminal trial that she was on the phone with Haley when officers pulled Nichols over for a traffic stop. She said she heard a “commotion,” including verbal orders for someone to give officers his hands.
The call ended, but Haley later texted the photo in a group chat comprising Haley, Leake and her godsister, she testified. Prosecutors displayed the photo for the jury. It showed Nichols with his eyes closed, on the ground with what appeared to be blood near his mouth and his hands behind his back.
Leake said that when she saw the photo, her reaction was: “Oh my God, he definitely needs to go to the Med.”
The Med is shorthand for Memphis’ trauma hospital.
The fatal beating, caught on police bodycams and street surveillance cameras, has sparked protests and calls for police reform. Officers said they pulled over Nichols for reckless driving, but Memphis’ police chief said there was no evidence to substantiate that claim.
Haley, Tadarrius Bean and Justin Smith are on trial after pleading not guilty to charges that they deprived Nichols of his civil rights through excessive force and failure to intervene, and obstructed justice through witness tampering. Their trial began Sept. 9 and is expected to run three to four weeks.
Former Memphis police officer Demetrius Haley arrives at the federal courthouse for the second day of jury selection for the trial in the Tyre Nichols case Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn.
George Walker IV / AP
The Memphis Police Department fired the three men, along with Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr., after Nichols’ death. The beating was caught on police video, which was released publicly. The officers were later indicted on the federal charges. Martin and Mills have taken plea deals.
During her testimony Wednesday, Leake said she deleted the photo after she saw it and that sending such a photo is against police policy.
“I wasn’t offended, but it was difficult to look at,” she said.
Leake said Haley had sent her photos before of drugs, and of a person who had been injured in a car accident.
Earlier Wednesday, Martin was on the witness stand for a third day. Defense attorneys tried to show inconsistencies between Martin’s statements to investigators and his court testimony. Martin acknowledged lying about what happened to Memphis Police Department internal investigators, to try to cover up and “justify what I did.”
But Martin said he told the truth to FBI investigators after he pleaded guilty in August, including statements about feeling pressure on his duty belt where his gun was located during the traffic stop, but not being able to see if Nichols was trying to get his gun. Martin has testified that he said “let go of my gun” during the traffic stop.
Martin Zummach, the attorney for Justin Smith, asked Martin if he knew of any reasons why Nichols did not simply say, “I give up.”
“He’s out of it,” Martin said. “Disoriented.”
Martin testified that the situation escalated quickly when Haley pulled his gun and violently yanked Nichols from his car, using expletives and failing to tell Nichols why he had been pulled over and removed from the vehicle.
“He never got a chance to comply,” Martin said.
Nichols, who was Black, was pepper sprayed and hit with a stun gun during the traffic stop, but ran away, police video shows. The five officers, who also are Black, then beat him about a block from his home, as he called out for his mother.
Video shows the officers milling about and talking as Nichols struggled with his injuries. Nichols died Jan. 10, 2023, three days after the beating.
An autopsy report shows Nichols – the father of a boy who is now 7 – died from blows to the head. The report describes brain injuries, and cuts and bruises on his head and elsewhere on his body.
Jesse Guy testified that he was working as a paramedic for the Memphis Fire Department the night of the beating. He arrived at the location after two emergency medical technicians, Robert Long and JaMichael Sandridge.
Guy said he was not told about the medical problems Nichols had experienced before he arrived, and that Nichols was injured, seated on the ground and unresponsive.
Nichols had no pulse and was not breathing, and it “felt like he was lifeless,” Guy said.
In the ambulance, Guy performed CPR and provided mechanical ventilation, and Nichols had a pulse by the time he arrived at the hospital, the paramedic said.
Guy said Long and Sandridge did not say if they had checked Nichols’ pulse and heart rate, and they did not report if they had given him oxygen. When asked by one of Bean’s lawyers whether that information would have been helpful in treating Nichols, Guy said yes.
Long and Sandridge were fired for violating fire department policies after Nichols died. They have not been criminally charged.
The five officers also have been charged with second-degree murder in state court, where they pleaded not guilty. Mills and Martin are expected to change their pleas.
Nichols worked for FedEx, and he enjoyed skateboarding and photography. The city of Sacramento, where Nichols grew up, named a skatepark in his honor. “Tyre fell in love with skateboarding at a young age and it wasn’t long before it became a part of his lifestyle,” states the resolution approved by the city council. He had a tattoo of his mother’s name.
“Tyre Nichols’ family have been praying for justice and accountability from the very beginning of this tragedy,” Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, the civil rights attorneys representing Nichols’ family, said in a statement when the trial began.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Election officials in Memphis decided Tuesday to leave three gun control questions off the November ballot after top Republican state leaders threatened to withhold tens of millions of dollars in state funding.
On Monday, Tennessee’s election coordinator, Mark Goins, sent a letter to the Shelby County Election Commission warning that the gun control measures violated several of Tennessee’s laws, making them void and ineligible to be placed on the ballot. The letter was sent hours after House Speaker Cameron Sexton and Senate Speaker Randy McNally issued their state funding ultimatum.
Goins added that “unequivocable declarations by the General Assembly” left “no authority” for Memphis officials to propose such amendments to the city’s charter. Goins also raised concerns that the city had not properly followed the public notice procedures required to put a referendum on the Nov. 5 ballot.
In a statement, the Shelby County Administrator of Elections Linda Phillips said the state elections coordinator guides the commission in running elections, “and we will follow his direction.”
“If the City of Memphis decides to challenge this interpretation, we will respect the final decision made by the courts,” Phillips said.
Earlier this year, the Memphis City Council approved a proposal to ask voters if they wanted to tweak the city charter to require permits to carry a handgun, ban the possession of AR-15 style rifles and implement a so-called red flag ordinance, which allows law enforcement officials to remove firearms from those found to be an imminent danger to themselves or others.
The council had acknowledged at times that they were potentially risking the ire of the Republican-dominant Legislature since the measures likely conflict with Tennessee’s lax gun laws.
Regardless, council members representing the large Black-majority, left-leaning city said they were willing to take the risk.
“If the General Assembly wants to punish us and punish our citizens for asking for their help, we will deal with that accordingly, but that would be absolutely heartbreaking,” Councilman Chase Carlisle said during a council meeting in 2023.
In 2021, Republican lawmakers and GOP Gov. Bill Lee signed off on permitless carry for handguns. In May of this year, they banned local cities and counties from implementing their own red flag laws. Meanwhile, many inside that same Republican supermajority have rebuffed calls to place limits on firearms, an effort that has only increased after a gunman shot and killed three adults and three 9-year-olds in a Nashville private school last year.
The continued push to put the gun control questions before Memphis voters prompted not only the state’s top Republican lawmakers to threaten to withhold funding, but also led Secretary of State Tre Hargett to warn that his office would not approve Memphis’ ballot if it included the gun initiatives.
Last year, Memphis received nearly $78 million from the state’s sales tax revenue. The city currently operates an $858 million budget.
“Guns pose a different risk for residents of Memphis than they do for some other municipalities, but we understand that we need to work with our state to determine a set of tools to restore peace in our community,” said Mayor Paul Young in a statement responding to the Legislature’s ultimatum. “What happens next is up to the voters and the legislative branches.”
What to know about the 2024 Election
McNally praised the election commission’s decision, saying that he appreciated the panel “recognizing the county cannot make state law.”
Members inside Tennessee’s white-majority Legislature have long criticized Memphis leaders, especially for how they have managed the city’s crime rates, and expressed doubt over how Black leaders were handling the issue. In 2023, the city saw a record-breaking 398 homicides, while burglaries jumped to more than 14,000.
The rate of reported crime in Memphis for the first half of 2024 remained below the first half of 2023 in almost all major categories, however, including the violent crimes of murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, according to preliminary figures from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Trust only further broke down this year when Republican lawmakers and the governor signed off on legislation designed to undo police traffic stop reforms set in place after officers fatally beat Tyre Nichols last year.
State Rep. Justin J. Pearson, who represents a Memphis district and was one of two Black Democratic state lawmakers who were briefly expelled from the Legislature for protesting the lack of action after the Nashville school shootings, said the election commission’s decision was “dangerous for democracy” and he hoped the city council would take legal action.
“I am furious and disappointed that the Shelby County Election Commission felt that it needed to yield to the tyrannical and authoritarian actions of the Republican leadership of this state,” Pearson said. “They are abusing their positions and authority to intentionally circumvent the will of the people in our city.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Missouri woman has been arrested on charges she orchestrated a brazen scheme to defraud Elvis Presley’s family by trying to auction off his Graceland mansion and property before a judge halted the mysterious foreclosure sale, the Justice Department said Friday.
Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, falsely claimed Presley’s daughter borrowed $3.8 million from a bogus private lender and had pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan before her death last year, prosecutors said. She then threatened to sell Graceland to the higher bidder if Presley’s family didn’t pay a $2.85 million settlement, according to authorities.
Finley posed as three different people allegedly involved with the fake lender, fabricated loan documents, and published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper announcing the auction of Graceland in May, prosecutors said. A judge stopped the sale after Presley’s granddaughter sued.
Experts were baffled by the attempt to sell off one of the most storied pieces of real estate in the country using names, emails and documents that were quickly suspected to be phony.
Graceland opened as a museum and tourist attraction in 1982 and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. A large Presley-themed entertainment complex across the street from the museum is owned by Elvis Presley Enterprises. The announcement of charges came on the 47th anniversary of Presley’s death at the age of 42.
“Ms. Findley allegedly took advantage of the very public and tragic occurrences in the Presley family as an opportunity to prey on the name and financial status of the heirs to the Graceland estate, attempting to steal what rightfully belongs to the Presley family for her personal gain,” said Eric Shen, inspector in charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group.
AP correspondent Jackie Quinn reports an arrest had been made in an effort to steal away the ownership of Elvis Presley’s Graceland property.
An attorney for Findley, who used multiple aliases, was not listed in court documents. A voicemail left with a phone number believed to be associated with Findley was not immediately returned, nor was an email sent to an address prosecutors say she had used in the scheme.
She’s charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. The mail fraud charge carries up to 20 years in prison. She remained in custody after a brief federal court appearance in Missouri, according to court papers.
In May, a public notice for a foreclosure sale of the 13-acre (5-hectare) estate said Promenade Trust, which controls the Graceland museum, owes $3.8 million after failing to repay a 2018 loan. Riley Keough, Presley’s granddaughter and an actor, inherited the trust and ownership of the home after the death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, last year. An attorney for Keough didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Friday.
Keough filed a lawsuit claiming fraud, and a judge halted the proposed auction with an injunction. Naussany Investments and Private Lending — the bogus lender authorities now say Findley created — said Lisa Marie Presley had used Graceland as collateral for the loan, according to the foreclosure sale notice. Keough’s lawsuit alleged that Naussany presented fraudulent documents regarding the loan in September 2023 and that Lisa Maria Presley never borrowed money from Naussany.
Kimberly Philbrick, the notary whose name is listed on Naussany’s documents, indicated she never met Lisa Marie Presley nor notarized any documents for her, according to the estate’s lawsuit. The judge said the notary’s affidavit brings into question “the authenticity of the signature.”
The judge in May halted the foreclosure sale of the beloved Memphis tourist attraction, saying Elvis Presley’s estate could be successful in arguing that a company’s attempt to auction Graceland was fraudulent.
The Tennessee attorney general’s office had been investigating the Graceland controversy, then confirmed in June that it handed the probe over to federal authorities.
A statement emailed to The Associated Press after the judge stopped the sale said Naussany would not proceed because a key document in the case and the loan were recorded and obtained in a different state, meaning “legal action would have to be filed in multiple states.” The statement, sent from an email address listed in court documents, did not specify the other state.
After the scheme fell apart, Findley tried to make it look like the person responsible was a Nigerian identity thief, prosecutors said. An email sent May 25 to the AP from the same email as the earlier statement said in Spanish that the foreclosure sale attempt was made by a Nigerian fraud ring that targets old and dead people in the U.S. and uses the Internet to steal money.
Memphis, TN is a lively and diverse city that has won the hearts of many with its rich musical heritage, delectable Southern cuisine, and vibrant cultural scene. But is Memphis a good place to live? While the city offers endless opportunities for entertainment and a bustling urban lifestyle, it also comes with its fair share of challenges such as humid summers. In this Redfin article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of living in Memphis to help you decide if it’s the right place for you.
Memphis is renowned for its rich musical heritage, being the birthplace of blues and a significant player in the development of rock ‘n’ roll. Beale Street is a historic landmark where you can find live music venues that celebrate this legacy. Additionally, the city is also home to the iconic Sun Studio, where legends like Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash recorded their hits.
2. Con: Hot and humid summers
One downside to living in Memphis is the hot and humid summers. Temperatures often soar above 90°F, and the humidity can make it feel even hotter. This can be uncomfortable for those not accustomed to such weather and can limit outdoor activities during the peak summer months. Additionally, the high humidity can lead to increased energy costs as air conditioning becomes a necessity.
3. Pro: Affordable housing
Memphis boasts a relatively low cost of living compared to other major cities in the United States. Housing is particularly affordable, with a median home sale price of $180,750 and a variety of options ranging from historic homes to modern new builds. This affordability extends to rentals where the median rent is $993, making Memphis a good place to live.
4. Con: Limited public transportation
The transit score in Memphis stands at 22, meaning there are limited options, which can be a significant drawback for those who rely on it. The city’s bus system, MATA, has a limited number of routes and schedules, making it less convenient for daily commuting. This often necessitates owning a car, which can be an added expense and hassle for residents who prefer not to drive.
5. Pro: Delicious barbecue
Memphis is famous for its mouth-watering barbecue, a culinary delight that draws foodies from all over the world. The city hosts the annual World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, showcasing the best in barbecue cuisine. Local joints like Central BBQ and The Rendezvous offer unique flavors and styles that make Memphis barbecue a must-try experience for residents and visitors.
6. Con: High allergy rates
Memphis is known for having high pollen counts, which can be problematic for allergy sufferers. The city’s lush greenery and seasonal changes contribute to this issue, making spring and fall particularly challenging times of the year. Residents often find themselves dealing with sneezing, itchy eyes, and other allergy symptoms, which can detract from the overall quality of life.
7. Pro: Scenic Mississippi River views
The Mississippi River provides stunning scenic views and recreational opportunities for Memphis residents. The riverfront area features parks, walking trails, and the popular Mud Island River Park, where you can enjoy outdoor activities and concerts. These picturesque views and amenities offer a unique and relaxing environment that enhances the city’s charm.
8. Con: Tornado risk
Memphis is located in an area that is susceptible to tornadoes, which can be a significant concern for residents. Tornado season typically runs from March to May, and the threat of severe weather can be stressful. While the city has measures in place to alert and protect residents, the risk of tornadoes remains a notable drawback to living in Memphis.
9. Pro: Strong community spirit
Memphis is known for its strong sense of community and Southern hospitality. Neighborhoods often host events and festivals that bring residents together, fostering a close-knit atmosphere, such as the annual Cooper-Young Festival and the Beale Street Music Festival. This community spirit is evident in local initiatives and volunteer opportunities, like the Memphis City Beautiful, making it easy for newcomers to feel welcomed and connected.
10. Con: Ranked as having the worst drivers in the nation
Memphis is frequently ranked as having some of the worst drivers in the nation, with high rates of traffic accidents and reckless driving incidents. The city’s roadways are often cited for issues such as speeding, running red lights, and frequent collisions, contributing to its poor driving reputation. These driving conditions can make commuting stressful and increase the risk of accidents for residents and visitors alike.
Methodology:The median home sale price and average monthly rental data is from the Redfin Data Center. The Walk Score, Transit Score and Bike Score data is from Walk Score.
At least 2 people were killed and more than a dozen others injured when gunfire erupted Saturday night during a block party in Memphis, Tennessee, authorities said.
In a late-night briefing, interim Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said the shooting was reported at 7:19 p.m. local time at Orange Mound Park in southeast Memphis.
Officers arrived to find five people with gunshot wounds, Davis said. Two males died at the scene and three others were rushed to local hospitals.
Police later learned that another 11 gunshot victims were taken to area hospitals by private vehicles, Davis said.
The shooting occurred during a block party with an estimated 200 to 300 people in attendance, the police chief reported.
At least 2 suspects are being sought.
“We believe there are at least two individuals that fired weapons during this incident,” Davis told reporters.
The circumstances that precipitated the shooting were unclear.
Police did not immediately name the two deceased victims, and the conditions of the injured patients were not provided.
Faris Tanyos is a news editor for CBSNews.com, where he writes and edits stories and tracks breaking news. He previously worked as a digital news producer at several local news stations up and down the West Coast.
Eight people were shot including two men who were killed at an unsanctioned public party in a Memphis city park Saturday night, police said.
The Memphis Police Department initially reported there were 16 people shot but revised the number as the investigation continued, noting in a social media post that the error appeared to have been a result of “several victims being reported multiple times.”
Officers responded at 7:19 p.m. to a reported shooting, Chief Cerelyn Davis said during a news conference at the scene.
Two men were pronounced dead at the scene and one person was in critical condition, Davis said.
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.
“In light of recent events, we stand together to denounce these senseless acts of violence,” Davis said.
There were no immediate arrests reported.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates…
Eight people were shot including two men who were killed at an unsanctioned public party in a Memphis city park Saturday night, police said.
The Memphis Police Department initially reported there were 16 people shot but revised the number as the investigation continued, noting in a social media post that the error appeared to have been a result of “several victims being reported multiple times.”
Officers responded at 7:19 p.m. to a reported shooting, Chief Cerelyn Davis said during a news conference at the scene.
Two men were pronounced dead at the scene and one person was in critical condition, Davis said.
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.
“In light of recent events, we stand together to denounce these senseless acts of violence,” Davis said.
There were no immediate arrests reported.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates…
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — University of Houston students, fans, and staff members gave Jamal Shead, L.J. Cryer, head coach Kelvin Sampson, and the March Madness-bound Cougars a send-off on Wednesday to their first-round matchup against Longwood University.
Houston, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament’s South Region top seed, is six consecutive victories from its first-ever national championship, and earning a 30-4 record this season set the Coogs up for an advantageous road to cutting down the nets in Arizona at the end.
If the Cougars overcome the No. 16-seeded Longwood Lancers and get past either No. 8 Nebraska or No. 9 Texas A&M in Memphis, the team will get the opportunity to punch their ticket to the Final Four with two wins in Dallas, the site of the region’s Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds.
It’s a prospect that Cryer, a high-scoring senior guard, is not taking lightly.
“(I’m) looking forward to hopefully reaching Dallas because we know if we get there, a lot of our friends will be able to come out and support. And having that, like, homecourt advantage-type of deal is really big in this type of tournament,” Cryer told ABC13’s Adam Winkler, who traveled with the team to their first-round matchup.
Case in point, the No. 5 Houston team in 2022 upset the South Region’s No. 1 seed, Arizona, in the Sweet Sixteen played in San Antonio. The homecourt advantage was short-lived, though. Sampson’s crew fell to No. 2 Villanova in the Elite Eight.
However, the loss didn’t sour the tournament selection committee enough to eliminate Houston from a No. 1 seed. In fact, UH clinched the second overall seed out of the 68-team field, a position the team also earned in 2023.
Since 2004, when the tournament first disclosed rankings of all teams in the field, three No. 2 seeds have won it all: North Carolina in 2005, Villanova in 2018, and Baylor in 2021, when the Bears defeated Houston in the Final Four on the way to the title.
In addition, only one first-overall seed was recognized as a national champion in the last 20 years. The No. 3 overall seed has won five times over that time, and only one No. 4 overall seed won the title.
Six tournaments since 2004 had no No. 1 seeds advance to the Final Four.
Houston faces Longwood on Friday at 8:20 p.m. CT at Memphis’ FedEx Forum. The winner faces either Nebraska or Texas A&M on Sunday.
ABC13’s Adam Winkler is with the Houston Cougars throughout their March Madness run. Tune into Eyewitness News broadcasts leading up to the team’s opening game for live reports.
