Memphis Doctor Gunned Down In Front Of Family Gets Little Media Coverage, Here’s Why: Mark Harris

Alexander Bulakhov and his family moved to Memphis, Tenn. in July in order for him to begin his fellowship at St. Jude Children's Hospital. On Sunday, less than six months after relocating to the city, Bulakhov was gunned down while on a walk with his wife and two-year-old daughter in a popular park downtown.

According to the arrest affidavit, Bulakhov and his family were approached by a man in a ski mask who demanded they give them their property just before 8:00 PM. After he handed over his wallet, the gunman pointed the gun at his wife. In an attempt to defend his wife and daughter, Bulakhov tried to dislodge the gun, but the gun fired, with a bullet striking him.

The doctor was taken to a nearby hospital but later died from the gunshot wound.

Suspects Marious Ward, 23, and Brandy Rucker, 22, were arrested on multiple charges including first-degree murder and criminal attempted first-degree murder.

The Media Doesn't Want You To Know

One would imagine that a doctor who was brought to Memphis to help save the lives of sick children being gunned down while on a walk with his family would be significant news locally, if not nationally, but that hasn't been the case.

In Memphis, a city that's seen a 17-year high in violent crime unfold this year, it's just another day.

For the media, it's another story that needs to be tip-toed around due to the skin color of the suspects.

Crimes are of course committed in Memphis and around the United States by people of all races and backgrounds, that obvious fact isn't up for debate, but the mainstream media holding itself to a certain standard and reporting basic facts regarding violent crime certainly is.

The brutal murder of teenager Jonathan Lewis in Las Vegas is just a recent example of the media's cowardice in reporting stories involving black suspects.

Lewis was beaten to death by a group of teenagers on November 1 after a fight broke out after his friend allegedly had a set of headphones and a vape pen stolen from him. His friend was allegedly thrown into a trash can. Lewis lost his life while sticking up for his buddy.

The incredibly violent video shows a group of black teenagers delivering the beating to the white 17-year-old. Las Vegas Police Lt. Jason Johannson has already concluded that there is no evidence of the incident being a hate crime while eight of the 10 teenage suspects have been arrested and are facing murder charges.

CNN published its first story about Lewis' murder on Nov. 15, while plenty of other national news outlets seem to be staying away from the story altogether.

We saw the same strategy from liberal media in 2022 when 17-year-old Ethan Liming was killed at LeBron James' 'I Promise' School in Akron, Ohio. Deshawn Stafford and Tyler Stafford were both at the scene when Liming suffered a fatal hit to the head, but even before the two young black men were found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter, the story was widely ignored as a whole.

In today's insanely fast-paced news world stories inevitably fall through the cracks, but the lack of coverage involving black suspects appears to be becoming more of a trend than a coincidence.

If it were two white suspects who murdered a minority St. Jude doctor in Memphis, the story would lead every national news broadcast. The same could be said if a group of white teenagers beat a 17-year-old minority to death.

It's an incredibly sad reality, but it's the world we're living in, a world focused on optics instead of facts.

A Memphian's Reaction To Violence In The City

Memphis' elected officials are openly admitting that they're more concerned about the public perception of the city instead of the actual crime-ridden community.

Mayor-elect Paul Young reacted to the murder of Bulakhov by trying to fool Memphians that it's just "1% of our population terrorizing the city."

That sort of PR spin may work when non-violent crimes are being discussed, but the mayor-elect playing the 'it's just a few bad apples' card while discussing the murder of a man who moved his family to the city less than six months ago is beyond comprehension.

Meanwhile, the county's District Attorney Steve Mulroy is busy planning conversations at bookstores instead of cleaning up the city.

Each time some nonsensical crime takes place in the city - the one my family and I call home - my mind almost immediately goes to local reporter Joyce Peterson and her live-hit after a senseless gunman killed four people in September 2022.

The random act of violence came less than 48 hours after Eliza Fletcher's body was found after she was abducted and murdered earlier that month while on an early-morning run near the University of Memphis.

Memphis isn't just tired right now, it's been tired for quite some time.

Follow Mark Harris on X @ItIsMarkHarris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com