A police car with flashing lights at night. (Daniel Tadevosyan / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin July 25, 2026 at 5:00am
A burglar was shot by an apartment resident during an attempted June 23 heist in Memphis, Tennessee.
The resident recounted to WHBQ-TV that he was returning home just before 3:15 p.m. when he saw a masked man trying to remove his television from the wall.
The suspect reportedly turned around toward the resident and reached into a bag.
That’s when the resident pulled his firearm and shot the suspect two times.
The suspect reportedly ran, and the resident fired two more shots as he escaped.
NEW DETAILS 🚨 A burglary suspect is fighting for his life after an attempted heist took a turn Tuesday afternoon at a Northeast Memphis apartment complex. https://t.co/BEvh5QZfwO
— Action News 5 (@WMCActionNews5) June 24, 2026
The suspect then fell and dropped his bag, getting up and continuing to run.
Memphis Police Department officers attempted to make contact with the suspect.
When they could not immediately find him, they launched a search and found an injured man, who was hospitalized in critical condition.
WHBQ-TV reported that police released “a white PlayStation 5, pink and white Jordan ones, and black and pink Jordan ones, all-black Nike Air Max 97s, white Air Forces, a black Roku controller, and a purple PlayStation controller” to the resident’s wife.
She said all of the items belonged to the couple.
Slaven Slaughter, a resident of the apartment complex where the robbery occurred, described the situation to WREG.
“Officers were running everywhere, guns drawn. I didn’t know what was going on but I saw a national guardsman walking with the police and they were running every direction,” he said.
WREG also reported that no charges have been filed against the resident.
The outlet noted that stand your ground laws apply in Tennessee when there is a reasonable belief that injury or death is possible.
In the next month, the laws are slated to expand such that using deadly force to defend personal property is permitted.
WTVC reported that the new legislation will lift a previous requirement allowing only reasonable force to protect property.
Under the changes, deadly force will be allowed if someone deems it necessary to stop a serious crime, such as arson and burglary.
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Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Pop Culture, Christian-Conservatism
