50 active felony cases solved when

tipster helps arrest burglary kingpin

Once in a while, police will make an arrest and the charges will solve more than one case on the books.

But one tip to CrimeStoppers this year led to what has to be a record number of closures of active cases by the Memphis Police, at least in the last several years.

Montario Fifer, whom police described as a violent gang member, was identified as a ringleader in multiple business and auto burglaries involving millions of dollars in stolen property and damages to buildings. He was fingered

during a six-month investigation and was charged for property theft, three counts of burglary, 42 counts of burglary of vehicles, theft of firearms in 10 cases, the unlawful possession of a weapon and assault.

As a result, more than 50 cases are now marked closed.

Police say Fifer led a “burglary crew” and the members of his group all now have been arrested.

When arrested (bail was set at $212,150) he had more than 30 outstanding felony warrants.

Thanks to the tipster, who was awarded $1,000 by CrimeStoppers, Fifer no longer is a fugitive from justice.

Family puts up extra award

in bicyclist’s hit-and-run case

Cooper Thomez had only been in Memphis a couple of weeks for his internship at Nike. The 21-year-old was getting to know the city on his bike June 19, 2023 and had just come through Overton Park in the late afternoon.

He paused at the park’s bike plaza where Sam Cooper Boulevard runs into East Parkway and waited for the light telling him to cross the parkway via the Crosswalk. “That’s all I remember,” he said later.

A silver or gray car sped through the intersection and struck Thomez. He was thrown 50 feet and the bike was mangled. He suffered a concussion, a fractured vertebra, and other injuries. An ear was partially severed but sewn back

on in the hospital. He considers himself lucky to be alive.

In fact, another person was killed at the same spot a year before he was hit.

Police are looking for the hit-and-run driver. The car involved, which must have suffered front-end damages, is thought to be a silver or gray Dodge Avenger or similar car.

Anyone who can help police solve this case will get the $4,000 extra award plus the usual award of up to $1,000 from CrimeStoppers of Memphis and Shelby County.

Detectives had slight information

on murder case until tip came in

It was nearly a year ago – August 13, 2022 – when police cars arrived at the intersection of Kerwin and Battlefield drives in the Raleigh area of north Memphis and found a gunshot victim on the ground. The man had been shot

several times and was dead.

Investigators had little to go by. No one saw the shooter but witnesses did see a silver vehicle fleeing the scene right after shots were fired.

But On May 17 this year, CrimeStoppers received an anonymous call identifying a suspect. Police worked with the information and determined J’Mychael Jackson was the gunman. He was arrested, confessed and was charged with second degree murder.

Bail was set at $551,000. The tipster was awarded $2,000.

This was the seventh homicide solved so far this year with the help of information supplied to detectives by anonymous citizens through CrimeStoppers. A $2,000 award has been paid in each case.