In the wake of the fatal shooting of Greater Memphis Chamber president and CEO Phil Trenary, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said Friday that gun violence is a problem in Memphis, as it is across the country.
Memphis Magazine
Phil Trenary
“I will say, this particular one hits a little closer to home because I knew Phil,” Strickland said in a Friday morning press conference. “We were friends and we worked so well together for the last two and a half years.
“Phil loved Memphis. He was one of the best cheerleaders this city had and he contributed so much to our community. I mourn his death.”
Strickland said he also mourns the deaths of the other Memphians who’ve lost their lives to gun violence. Like many big cities, the mayor says Memphis has too much of it.
Strickland said the city has a long-range plan to tackle gun violence in the city. A large piece of that plan is hiring more police officers, offering more jobs, and giving offenders second chances.
“We’re making progress on that,” the mayor said. “But, it’s a tough, American problem.”
Strickland said MPD is “working very hard to find the perpetrator or perpetrators” involved in Trenary’s death. Trenary was shot at 579 South Front Street Thursday evening after attending a charity event at Loflin Yard.
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The suspect is a black male with dreadlocks who was wearing a blue shirt at the time of the shooting, according to MPD. Lt. Karen Rudolph said Friday morning that investigators are still working to gather details relative to this investigation.
“At this point, it does appear that the victim was alone when the shooting occurred,” according to police. “The suspect, a male black wearing a blue shirt parked along the sidewalk on South Front, got out of his vehicle and approached the victim at which time the victim was shot. It is still unknown whether if this was a robbery or a personal vendetta.”