Memphis Safe Task Force Commemorates First Year of Relentless Action Against Violent Crime

Memphis, TN —One year after the Memphis Safe Task Force (MSTF) began its work on September 29, 2025, the multi-agency effort is showing significant declines in crime while reaffirming its commitment to making the city safer. The year of partnerships, enforcement, and community engagement has produced measurable results in Memphis, with crime down across several major categories.

Since the same period of time last year, murders are down 37%, sexual assaults are down 30%, robbery is down 47%, and aggravated assault is down 29%. Overall, serious crimes are down nearly 38%.

Since the launch of the Memphis Safe Task Force, officers have made 13,140 arrests, including 135for homicide, 1,406 for controlled substances, 1,303 for firearms violations, and 125 for sex offenses. Of those arrested, 421 were juveniles, 1,461 were known gang members and 1,188 were of individuals arrested more than one time during the operation so far. There have been some offenders arrested up to 7 times in the one-year period. The task force has seized 2,201illegal firearms.

These enforcement actions reflect a sustained commitment to reducing violent crime and removing dangerous weapons from Memphis neighborhoods.

The MSTF 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 189 missing children.

"President Trump’s Memphis Safe Task Force has driven down violent crime in a city that was failed by extreme Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies,” said White House Spokeswoman Lauren Bis. “The Task Force has made more than 13,000 arrests including murderers, sex offenders, drug traffickers, and other violent criminals and has seized more than 2,200 illegal firearms. President Trump restored law and order and made Memphis safe again.”

“The Memphis Safe Task Force has brought Memphis back to life,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “In just one year, this coordinated effort has taken the keys to Memphis away from violent criminals and put them back in the hands of the law-abiding citizens who call this city home. Thanks to President Trump, Memphis is on its way to becoming the safest city in America.”

"The DC Safe Task Force showed immediate success when it started. President Trump saw that success from the USMS and our partners and told us to go do the exact same thing in the great city of Memphis,” said Gadyaces S. Serralta, Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. "We have been even more successful in Memphis. The success of this operation shows the relentless dedication that every member of the task force has tirelessly worked to investigate and apprehend the most violent, dangerous fugitives. When law enforcement partners work together, the impact is exponential. The Memphis Safe Task Force is proof that the whole-of-government approach works.”

“I am incredibly proud of the professionalism of our Guardsmen and women serving on the Memphis Safe Task Force and the positive impact they’ve had serving our fellow Tennessee citizens in Memphis,” said Maj. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee’s Adjutant General. “Working alongside our partner agencies in law enforcement and emergency response has proven again how critical teamwork is and how the whole-of-government approach greatly benefits our fellow agencies, and more importantly, Tennesseans.”

Significant arrests include:

Arsenio Davis, 36, arrested on a first-degree murder charge October 22, 2025, after the MSTF responded to reports of a shooting in the 1600 block of Helsley Street. When they arrived on scene, officers located a female victim who was pronounced deceased on the scene. One officer sustained an injury from a dog bite and a second officer was assaulted by a woman who unlawfully entered the active crime scene. After identifying Davis as a possible suspect, Davis fled from the rear of the property and was quickly detained. Inside the residence, officers discovered a second deceased individual who appeared to be partially dismembered.

Lawrence Williams, 25, was arrested Nov. 17, 2025, on a warrant for petition to revoke a suspended sentence for criminal attempt, especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor. Through an interagency collaborative effort, investigators learned the whereabouts of Williams, leading Task Force members to the area of Knotty Oaks Drive in Memphis.

When Williams refused to open his door, Task Force members forced entry, and their K9 partner Marko located the suspect hiding in a back bedroom inside the residence. According to the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry, Williams has criminal history involving sex offenses dating back to 2022.

Alex Rodriguez, aka Rodriguez Aguirres, 52, arrested Nov. 18, 2025, on an outstanding state warrant for rape of a child and aggravated sexual battery. The arrest occurred during a targeted warrant operation conducted by Task Force members. Rodriguez, a Honduran national, was also determined to be unlawfully present in the United States. The warrant alleges that the victim of these offenses was between the ages of 8 and 13 years old.
Nigel Farmer, 30, was arrested Nov. 19, 2025, in Omaha, Nebraska, for a first-degree murder charge stemming from an October 29, 2024, shooting death of a 31-year-old Shelby County woman.

Gabrien Rounds, 20, charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and employing a firearm during a dangerous felony following June 18, 2024, homicide in Castalia Heights, was arrested Dec. 2, 2025, in the 1500 block of Antona Place.

China D. White, 25, a Gangster Disciple gang member charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder in Shelby County following a July 2020 murder on Barron Avenue, was taken into custody at an apartment complex in the 3100 block of Pecan Lake Drive at approximately 9:15 p.m., Dec. 2, 2025.

Eric Wilkerson, 43, was arrested on Dec. 17, 2025, in the area of East Hickory Bluffs on a warrant for attempted first-degree murder. Wilkerson is alleged to have been previously charged with aggravated assault in connection with the February 22, 2024, shooting that killed Adrian Goodrich, a former Bellevue Middle School football coach.

Anthony Mason and Xavier Brown, both Kitchen Cripps gang members and alleged witnesses to a December 20 homicide, were arrested Dec. 21, 2025, for unlawful possession of a firearm while intoxicated at a residence in the 200 block of Grove Dale Street. MSTF officers sized nine firearms – six handguns and three rifles - after they obtained and executed a search warrant for the residence and vehicles at the residence.

Cesar Aguilar, 21, was arrested May 5 after a search warrant on Byron Road yielded narcotics, three firearms and $20,000 in U.S. currency.

Andrew Delatorre, 19, who was indicted May 24 for child-related sex crimes, including rape of a minor, was arrested June 9 in South Gate, California, after MSTF investigators developed information that he was in California and sent a collateral lead to the U.S. Marshals in Los Angeles to locate and arrest him.

Lysander Davis, 59, and Trey Davis, 25, were arrested June 9 in the 1300 block of Farrow Road on firearms and narcotics charges. Officers recovered approximately 26 pounds of marijuana, three semi-automatic handguns and an AK-47 rifle.

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.

View photos from the first year of the MSTF here.