2 dead after eight people shot at party with hundreds attending in Memphis park, police say

One person was in critical condition, Memphis police said

Eight people shot at a block party in Memphis (Screengrab/ ABC24 Memphis)

Two people were killed and six were injured after a shooting at a public party of around 300 people in Memphis, Tennessee, late Saturday.

Around eight people were shot at a block party in Orange Mound Park, Memphis Police Department chief Cerelyn Davis said during a news conference.

The officers responded to the emergency calls of shooting at 7.19pm on Saturday where they found victims with gunshot wounds.

Two men were pronounced dead at the scene and one person was in critical condition, Officer Davis said.

The Memphis Police Department revised the number of people who were shot at from 16 to eight following an error that appeared to have happened due to “several victims being reported multiple times”.

“During the follow-up investigation, we learned that there were 8 total victims, with two of those being deceased on the scene,” Memphis police said in an updated statement on X.

“This was a block party that was occurring without a permit”, police said, adding that 200-300 people were attending it.

At least two suspects are being sought by the police, CBS News reported, citing Ms Davis.

“We believe there are at least two individuals that fired weapons during this incident,” Ms Davis told CBS News.

The police chief condoled the deaths in the shooting and called it a senseless act.

“In light of recent events, we stand together to denounce these senseless acts of violence,” she said.