Memphis man who shot 3 people and stole 2 cars is arrested after an intense search, police say
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Police on Monday identified a man arrested during an intense search and charged with fatally shooting one man, wounding two women and carjacking two vehicles at four different locations in Memphis.
Courdarion Craft, 20, of Memphis was arrested Sunday on charges including first-degree murder, especially aggravated robbery, carjacking, evading arrest and child abuse, the Memphis Police Department said in a statement released on social media.
Online court records did not show if he had a lawyer on Monday. The Associated Press was unable to locate a working phone number for Craft or the address listed for him in court records. The Shelby County Public Defender, which represents Craft in another case, did not answer a phone call and it’s phone system does not allow callers to leave voicemails.
Police began an hourslong search Sunday after a series of crime scenes were connected to a man wearing a black ski mask, a black hooded sweatshirt, red gloves, green pants and purple shoes. Authorities used social media posts and automated phone calls to alert the public about the search, which involved local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
In an affidavit, police said the man threatened to kill a woman if she called police during a carjacking Sunday morning. The woman and her two children fled her blue Nissan Maxima before the man drove away in the car, police said.
A short time later, police were called to a shooting at a smoke and vape shop. A man was found dead with what appeared to be gunshot wounds, police said.
Video recovered from the shop showed someone arrived at the store in a blue Nissan Maxima and shot the man before taking an AK-style firearm and merchandise from the business and then driving away, police said. In a second affidavit, police said the motive for the shooting and theft was “greed.”
The Maxima was found abandoned a short time later. Investigators said they found that the man had changed vehicles to a silver Nissan Altima, which police began to follow. The man exited the car and ran away, but officers caught up with him and arrested him, police said.
In a news release, police said the same man had committed a second carjacking and fired shots at two other places. Two women were found wounded and a boy was found with a dog bite at one of the locations. No injuries were reported at the other location, police said.
In a statement, Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said Craft was out of jail on a $100,000 bond on charges of attempted first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery.
A case carrying the same charges was dismissed Friday after Craft did not appear for a preliminary hearing, the Shelby County district attorney’s office said in a statement Monday. The DA’s office said it plans to present that case to a grand jury for an indictment.
Court records also showed other theft, burglary and evading arrest charges in previous cases. The DA’s office will ask a judge or judicial commissioner to revoke his bond on existing cases, the statement said.
