Crime of the Week #29

August 8, 2018

HOMICIDE

Memphis Police responded to a shooting call in the area of 4700 Violet Street in the Berclair neighborhood at 2:33 a.m. Sunday, July 29, 2018. Officers arrived to find a robbery victim. The man said that he and another man named Mauricio Merlos were riding in a truck when their vehicle was bumped from behind by a black car.

When the men stopped to investigate damage they were robbed of their personal belongings by a man in the car. The man had some kind of covering on his face. The victim advised he then heard a gunshot but could not find Merlos. As officers began to investigate the crime scene a homeowner in the 4700 block of Violet called police to report a body in the back yard. Merlos, 19, was found there and pronounced dead on the scene.

Anyone with information on this crime should call CrimeStoppers at 528-CASH (2274).