Shannon Street massacre
| Shannon Street massacre | |||
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| Date | January 11-13, 1983 | ||
| Location | 35°10′50″N 89°58′56″W / 35.18056°N 89.98222°W | ||
| Parties | |||
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| Lead figures | |||
| Number | |||
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| Casualties and losses | |||
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The Shannon Street massacre was a
Incident
On January 11, 1983, MPD units were called to a house at 2239 Shannon Street to investigate an alleged
Officers Ray Schwill and Bobby Hester responded to the call. Seven people fled the house at this point, but were later captured. Upon arrival, Schwill and Hester were ambushed by the remaining seven men in the house. Schwill sustained a gunshot wound to the face and escaped, but Hester was taken hostage. Schwill radioed for help and police quickly surrounded the house.[2][4][5]
The first backup officer to arrive, Officer Tommy Turner, attempted to enter the house but immediately came under fire and was wounded in the head. A second officer, William Russell "Russ" Aiken, entered the house and exchanged gunfire with the rebels. After firing twelve shots from his
, and continued firing into the house as more backup units arrived.Police began
Deaths
| Name | Age |
| Lindberg Sanders | 49 |
| Larnell Sanders | 26 |
| Michael Delane Coleman | 18 |
| Earl Thomas | 20 |
| Andrew Houston | 18 |
| David Lee Jordan | 29 |
| Cassell Harris | 21 |
| Officer Robert S. Hester | 34 |
Aftermath
Many police officers and citizens were angered by the Memphis Police Department choosing to wait 30 hours before moving on the house. The SWAT team at the scene wanted to raid the house once they heard Hester screaming, but police administrators wanted to keep negotiating. By the time the raid was authorized, Hester had been dead for several hours.[5]
Members of Sanders' family and Memphis' African-American community disputed the MPD's version of events. Sanders' daughter Lucinda claimed that Officer Schwill had started the confrontation at the house by shoving Lindberg Sanders. Schwill was known to mimic African-American speech when interacting with African-Americans, which could have been taken as an insult.[4] Sanders' wife Dorothy alleged that all the men were executed in retaliation for the killing of Hester. Julian Bolton, a Shelby County Commissioner at the time, criticized the police response as excessive, as he felt that not everyone in the house was responsible for Hester's death. Bolton also noted that six of the seven captors were shot in the head and that their bodies were photographed lying next to each other, which he claimed indicated they were executed. An FBI investigation found no wrongdoing on the part of the MPD.[3]
After the incident, the MPD adopted a policy of immediate raids for hostage situations if a hostage has been injured. The MPD also implemented more training on how to de-escalate crisis situations, particularly with mentally ill subjects.[4]
See also
References
- ^ "Police say they will reveal information about the 30-hour..." United Press International. 17 January 1983. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d Thorsberg, Frank (January 18, 1983). "The seven black religious fanatics who beat to death..." upi.com. United Press International. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- ^ a b "Twenty-five years later, widow remembers Shannon Street". www.wmcactionnews5.com. WMC 5. February 20, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Thompson, April (April 29, 2016). "Shannon Street documentary shows how tragedy changed Memphis Police". wreg.com. News Channel 3. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
- ^ a b c "OFFICER KILLED, MEMPHIS POLICE SLAY 7 CULTISTS". The New York Times. January 14, 1983. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
- ^ Thorsberg, Frank. "A medical examiner said today the policeman slain by..." upi.com. United Press International. Retrieved January 13, 2019.