Woman ducks on TV when shots fired during interview on crime

A Memphis community leader ducked for cover during a drive-by shooting – while she was being interviewed on TV about how to reduce crime in a city park.

The woman, who identified herself only as Yolanda, appeared on ABC24 to discuss a police plan to enforce a teen curfew in the southwest Tennessee city.

But as the Whitehaven neighborhood resident was in the middle of spelling her name on video for the station’s camera crew, more than a dozen rapid-fire gun shots erupted, prompting her quickly to fall to the ground for cover.

“Jesus. Get down, get down, get down,” she said in a calming voice to the TV crew after crouching out of the camera frame. “Just stay down and get down.”

She then said after a harrowing few seconds: “It’s OK. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Just stay down and get down.”

She also tried to comfort a frightened reporter who could be heard breathing heavily.

“It’s OK, James. Thank you Lord for the blood of Jesus that covers us. Thank you Father for the blood of Jesus,” she said.

Anchor Richard Ransom described the scary incident during the news telecast Tuesday.

“When the gunfire rang out, the interviewee ducked out of frame, telling the news crew to ‘just stay down and get down’ while praying,” he told viewers, adding that the shots were aimed at a nearby housing complex.

“No one was hurt and police responded right away, although as far as we know, no one has been arrested,” Ransom added.

Ransom said several rounds struck the building of another news outlet several weeks ago.

“I fear it’s only a matter of time before some station’s crew does get hurt,” he said. “Doing an interview, in a park, at 11am, should not be dangerous.”