A shooting spree on Interstate 55 during the morning of March 9, 2026, left two people injured and ended with the death of the suspected gunman, 31-year-old Julian Ellis of Memphis. The Southaven Police Department began receiving calls around 6 a.m. about gunfire on I-55 South near Stateline Road.
The investigation determined that Ellis was the sole person responsible for the series of shootings. He began firing at other vehicles while driving south from Memphis, Tennessee, and continued into Southaven, Mississippi, where three additional vehicles were struck by gunfire. The incident caused chaos and fear for morning commuters, with one witness stating, "It could've been any of us."
After the shootings, Ellis continued driving south to Hernando, where he crashed his vehicle into the median on I-55 near Church Road. When law enforcement arrived at the crash scene, they found Julian Ellis deceased in his vehicle from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Two individuals who were injured in the initial shootings in Memphis arrived at a local hospital with gunshot wounds. One victim, a woman, was in non-critical condition, while the other, a man, left the hospital before receiving treatment. Southaven police believe this was the first incident in Ellis's shooting spree. The interstate was closed for several hours as police investigated the scene. The motive for the shootings is still under investigation.
