Five people were killed and three others injured, including two police officers, when a police cruiser responding to an emergency call collided with a vehicle carrying six people in Memphis, Tennessee.
Newly obtained surveillance footage shows the cruiser entering the intersection with its emergency lights and siren activated shortly before the crash.
The collision occurred shortly after 12:25 a.m. on Sunday at Hickory Hill and East Raines roads. According to Memphis police, the officers were responding to a man-down call linked to a homicide investigation near Flowering Peach Drive and Mendenhall Road.
Video obtained by FOX13 Memphis from a nearby gas station shows several vehicles stopped at a red light. The police cruiser approaches with its emergency lights and siren activated as another vehicle appears to proceed through the intersection. The two vehicles then collide.
Four occupants in the civilian vehicle died at the scene, and a fifth died later at an area hospital. A sixth passenger remains in critical condition. Medical staff treated both responding officers for their injuries and released them by Monday.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is leading the investigation, a standard procedure when a serious crash involves Memphis police officers. Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the collision, including the cruiser’s speed and whether the officer attempted to brake before entering the intersection.
Mike Collins, a retired Shelby County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant, told ABC24 that investigators must determine how the police cruiser approached the intersection and what the officer did in the moments before impact.
“The rate of speed that the police officer vehicle was going at when they entered into that intersection,” Collins said, is one factor investigators should examine. He also pointed to whether the officer applied the brakes before reaching the crossing.
“Did they attempt to brake when they entered the intersection?” Collins asked. “I think those are some of the most important dynamics as it relates to that investigation.”
Collins said officers responding to emergencies may need to move quickly, but their response still requires attention to the safety of other people on the road.
He also urged drivers to remain alert when approaching intersections, noting that drivers may not always notice or hear an emergency vehicle in time.
“Operate with the assumption that the police officers are going to pass through that intersection going 100 mph,” Collins told the outlet. “Just make sure you check the intersection before you proceed through it. Make sure you obey the rules of the road.”
The investigation will determine the circumstances surrounding the collision. The surveillance footage shows the moments before impact, but authorities have not publicly established which actions or conditions led to the crash.
Authorities have identified four of the five people killed as Messiah Lee, 20; Rodney McNeal, 20; Syria Fifer, 21; and Carlesha Fifer, 19. Syria and Carlesha were cousins. The fifth victim is a minor teen girl.
As reported by Action News 5, McNeal’s former football coach, Cory Robinson, remembered him as a young man whose personality made an impression on those around him. Robinson coached McNeal at Hamilton High School and said their relationship eventually became much like family.
“Watching him grow up, he became the typical teenager, doing the typical teenage things,” Robinson told Action News 5. “But one thing about Lil Rodney, he was always in good spirits, smiling and laughing. He could make just anyone laugh.”
Robinson also compared McNeal’s approach to life with the way he played basketball, saying he enjoyed himself and had fun. He extended his condolences and prayers to McNeal’s parents, siblings, and others who knew him.
Syria Fifer’s family also shared a tribute as they began coping with her death. In a statement accompanying a GoFundMe campaign to help cover expenses, relatives described her as someone whose warmth and personality affected the people around her.
“Syria was truly a beautiful soul whose light touched the hearts of everyone fortunate enough to know her,” the family said. They added that her smile could brighten difficult days and described her as “an angel on Earth, spreading joy, love, and happiness wherever she went.”
Carlesha Fifer’s mother, Shoneke Williams, remembered her daughter as someone who brought humor and energy into the lives of others.
Williams told reporters that her daughter was “one of the funniest, happiest, goofiest kid you would know.” She also said Carlesha spoke her mind and enjoyed expressing herself through her hair, nails, and shoes. The teenager had been preparing to celebrate her 20th birthday next month.
The deaths have left families grieving and residents looking for answers about how the collision occurred.
Hickory Hill resident Denise Scott, who said she lost a son decades ago, expressed sympathy for the families facing the sudden loss.
“It’s where I lost a son. It’s 20, 25 years ago, so I most definitely know what they going through,” Scott told reporters. “And for the grieving parents, just take it day by day.”
Memphis resident Boyd Williams also questioned the circumstances surrounding the crash, asking why the young people were out at that hour and whether the officers could have approached the intersection more cautiously. He acknowledged that events may have unfolded too quickly for anyone involved to react, adding that he did not know exactly what happened.
Mayor Paul Young issued a statement expressing condolences to the families of those killed and others affected by the crash.
“Five young people lost their lives last night, and their families, along with the families of others involved, are facing unimaginable grief today,” Young said. He asked Memphis residents to keep the families in their thoughts as they face the days ahead.
A makeshift memorial appeared at the crash site on Monday. Hundreds of people also attended a vigil for McNeal that evening, where mourners shared words of encouragement and released balloons. Additional memorial gatherings were planned for the other victims.
As investigators continue reviewing the evidence, the families are left mourning five lives lost in a collision whose cause has yet to be determined.
