‘A nightmare’: Whitehaven neighborhood on edge after gunfire erupts in broad daylight

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Young men were caught on camera in a gun battle in a Whitehaven neighborhood.

Neighbors are now on edge and concerned for their safety after hearing gunshots in the middle of the day.

It happened just before noon Tuesday on Jordan Drive near the Tennessee and Mississippi border, where, police said, a man pulled up to a house and found three people breaking into his niece’s car.

According to the Memphis Police Department (MPD), that man honked his horn, hoping to scare the thieves off. Instead, the group began shooting at him.

Pictures released by police show men standing in the yard in the middle of the day, pointing guns into the street. A man ducked behind his car, hiding from bullets after car thieves opened fire on him.

The uncle’s car was hit by five bullets, police said.

The group then sped off in a Chrysler 300.

A neighbor, who did not want to show his face on TV out of fear for his safety, said his Whitehaven neighborhood is quiet, adding that shootings never happen.

He said he was scared for his life once he heard the shootings coming from outside.

“Once he put that clip in there, Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!” said the neighbor.

The neighbor described the sound of bullets going off in broad daylight around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was a nightmare,” said the neighbor.

PHOTOS: Car Thieves Shoot at Man in Whitehaven, MPD says

Photos released by police show three suspects involved in the shooting.

“He looked at both of them and one of them had a crowbar. He asked them, ‘What are y’all doing?’ and they just immediately started shooting,” said the neighbor.

The neighbor said it took at least an hour for police to arrive.

“The response time was ridiculous. If they had came when they got the call, they would have caught all of them,” said an anonymous neighbor.

But it doesn’t end there.

The neighbor said the suspects came back for more trouble the next day but this time after dark.

“This is a quiet neighborhood. I do not believe what I saw,” said the neighbor.

If you recognize anyone from these photos or know who these men are, Memphis Police urge you to call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH.

Any information which leads to an arrest, in this case, could be worth up to $2,000.

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