MSTF Surpasses 2,000 Firearm Recoveries: Thursday Yields 40 Arrests, 2 More Guns

Memphis, TN - The Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) has seized more than 2,000 illicit firearms since the operation began in September 2025. 

Since the launch of the Memphis Safe Task Force initiative, officers have made 11,592 arrests, including 117 for homicide, 1,282 for controlled substances, 1,180 for firearms violations, and 116 for sex offenses. Of those arrested, 344 were juveniles and 1,250 were known gang members. The task force has seized 2,002 illegal firearms. These enforcement actions reflect a sustained commitment to reducing violent crime and removing dangerous weapons from Memphis neighborhoods. 

“Removing more than 2,000 illicit firearms from city streets is a remarkable achievement by the Memphis Safe Task Force, and I commend every man and woman on the task force for their unwavering commitment to making Memphis safe by disrupting the violent crime that has plagued our great city for too long,” said Tyreece Miller, U.S. Marshal for the Western District of Tennessee. “Every illegal gun this team recovers represents a potential act of violence averted.” 

MSTF on Thursday arrested 40 people, including two homicide suspects, and seized two firearms.  

Tomarrion Smith, 19, a suspect in a fatal shooting on Faxon Avenue in Highland Heights/Binghampton on Tuesday, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after a traffic stop in the Knight Arnold Road and South Mendenhall Road. 

Ashundra Lee, 39, wanted on a Shelby County homicide warrant issued July 21, was arrested without incident in Oklahoma City after MSTF investigators learned she was in that area and sent a lead to the U.S. Marshals Western Oklahoma Fugitive Task Force. Lee is one of two suspects who shot and killed a motorcyclist near the intersection of Wilson Street and Gill Avenue July 21. The other suspect, Joseph Harris, is still at large.

Mellviya Edwards, 25, was arrested and detained for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after MSTF responded to a domestic violence altercation at an apartment in the 1800 block of Keltner Circle. After consent to search, MSTF recovered a .40-caliber handgun.

Corey Hankins, 33, was arrested on a warrant for felon in possession of a stolen firearm after MSTF officers who were conducting a fugitive search in the 1200 block of Linden Avenue developed information that Hankins was at an apartment complex at that location. After a room-by-room knock and talk of the complex, MSTF officers located and arrested Hankins and recovered a .40-caliber handgun.

John Anderson, 85, was arrested in the 700 block of Bethel Avenue on a warrant issued Jan. 6 for failure to register as a sex offender. During a protective sweep of the property, five minor aged children, of no relation to Anderson, were found residing in the home.

The Memphis Safe Task Force is a multi-agency initiative established via a Presidential Memorandum signed by President Donald Trump on Sept. 15, 2025. Aimed at addressing violent street crime, the task force coordinates federal, state, and local law enforcement and includes mobilized members of the Tennessee National Guard. The MSTF is focused on arresting violent criminals, clearing warrants, seizing firearms, and locating missing children. Since the operation began, the MSTF has located 185 missing children.

This operation reflects the MSTF’s commitment to coordinated enforcement efforts and its mission to identify, apprehend, and hold accountable those who pose a threat to public safety.