Frank Douglas, a 36-year-old Black man, was killed on May 7, 2017, after a shooting outside a car wash in the Whitehaven area of Memphis, Tennessee. The violence unfolded near Chism Express Car Wash at 1614 E. Shelby Drive, where what should have been an ordinary evening abruptly turned into a scene of panic and confusion as gunfire erupted and Douglas was struck.
In the immediate aftermath, Douglas was rushed from the car wash by private vehicle, as people nearby tried to get him help
as quickly as they could. The shooting left behind more questions than answers about how and why the confrontation turned deadly, and it cast a shadow over the busy stretch of Shelby Drive where customers normally come and go without incident.
More than a month later, on June 26, 2017, Memphis police announced an arrest in the case. An 18-year-old, Tyree Robertson, was taken into custody and accused of shooting and killing Douglas. Police charged Robertson with first-degree murder, marking him as the central suspect identified publicly in Douglas’s death at that time.
