A quiet Monday afternoon inside the Wolfchase Galleria in Memphis turned into a scene of tragedy when a dispute escalated into deadly gunfire. On November 17, 2025, the Memphis Police Department responded to reports of a shooting around 2:09 p.m. at the mall on North Germantown Parkway.
The victim, identified as 22‑year‑old Erik Sandoval, was struck by multiple gunshots and transported to a hospital where he later died. Investigators say the suspect, identified as Yahir Mejia (initially reported as 22, and later 23), was taken into custody after the agency collaborated with the Memphis Safe Task Force and federal partners.
According to court documents and police reports, Mejia and his girlfriend were shopping at a retail section of the mall when Sandoval approached them. Mejia claimed that Sandoval hit him in the face during the interaction, prompting him to fire three shots, his defense alleging he acted to protect himself and his partner. He is quoted saying, “Don’t ever put your hands on me or my baby mama.”
However, the police reviewed surveillance footage and say the footage does not support Mejia’s self-defense claim. They have charged him with second‑degree murder under the investigation.
Following the shooting, authorities say Mejia left the scene in a white SUV and later returned to one of his known addresses. Task Force members met with his mother and, after a brief foot chase, took Mejia into custody without further incident. During the pursuit, Mejia reportedly livestreamed on Facebook saying, “I didn’t want to turn myself in but… they’re already at both my houses.”
In a joint statement, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis praised the collaboration between local, state and federal agencies in swiftly identifying the suspect and removing a violent offender from the streets. “Their work ensured this individual was identified and taken into custody without delay… Our commitment to protecting our city remains steadfast,” she said.
Mejia is scheduled to be arraigned on the murder charge later this week. Meanwhile, investigators continue to look into the full details of the altercation inside the mall, and mall officials confirmed the incident was isolated and the rest of the facility remained secured.
If you’d like information on how the victim was identified, the exact footage claims by police, or statements from witnesses in the mall that day, I can pull those up for you.
