Teen accused of bringing gun to high school arrested for third time since June

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – The 19-year-old man arrested and accused of bringing a loaded gun onto the Hamilton High School campus was arrested again on robbery charges a few days later. Why was he released from prison even though court records show he is a threat to public safety?

Javarious Sistrunk has now entered the revolving door at 201 Poplar three times in three months. His first arrest came in June. The second arrest came last week. And his third arrest came on Monday.

Hamilton High students are praising their campus police officers and Memphis police for the quick arrest of Sistrunk on Sept. 25 after MPD said he was caught on school grounds with a stolen, loaded gun.

“Everybody started running and stuff like that,” freshman Markel Sallis Jr. said, “but they caught him down there at the end of the parking lot.”

Shelby County court records show that Justice Commissioner Zayid Saleem set bail at $30,000 and noted on the bail review form: “The defendant poses a threat to public safety.”

This was Sistrunk's second arrest. The first case occurred in June when he was charged with tool theft and released from prison for free.

Despite his re-arrest, Judge Ronald Lucchesi allowed Sistrunk to be released on his own recognizance on the gun possession charge in Hamilton – meaning no bail was required.

But MPD would see him again soon. Around 9 a.m. Monday morning, a woman was walking to the store on South Parkway in Worthington when she said three young men approached her and robbed her at gunpoint.

According to the Memphis Police Department report, the victim's purse and cell phone were taken. The description she gave police of one of the suspects matched Javarious Sistrunk.

Witnesses told police they saw the three suspects enter the Dollar General on Lamar Avenue. When MPD arrived, they said they saw the suspects standing at the ATM. They said they identified Sistrunk by the clothing he was wearing, which matched what the victim told investigators.

The arrest report also states that MPD found the victim's cell phone in the trash next to the ATM and found two guns hidden behind merchandise inside the store.

Court documents show that Justice Commissioner Kevin Reed set bail for Sistrunk at $80,000 on Tuesday, Oct. 1, noting on the bail review form that he was charged with a felony while serving a felony previous offense was released on bail.

Back at Hamilton High, freshman Markel Sallis Jr., sophomore Elijah Hodges and senior Ashton Dotson said staff at their school takes safety seriously.

“They do metal detector checks every day,” Sallis Jr. said, “every day.”

“Safety is everywhere in the school,” Hodge said, “they are everywhere.”

Dotson added: “Everywhere you walk around you will see security guards and there are hall monitors everywhere.”

Hamilton parents like Ed Collins told Action News 5 that courts should also be proactive in protecting students, especially when making decisions about who is released from county jail.

“Man, this is crazy! That's crazy!” Collins said: “All I can say is that it's crazy. He shouldn't even have been released from prison. I mean, he shouldn’t have even been released from prison.”

A recent report on Shelby County's bail system found that since bail reform was implemented in 2023, the number of defendants being released on their own recognizance has increased. The rate of felony re-arrest has also increased.

At last check late Tuesday evening, Javarious Sistrunk was still behind bars in the Shelby County Jail.

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