Memphis Couple Passed Out On Street From Heroin Overdose As Passersby Live Stream It

#1 Laughing Crowd Gathers To Watch Couple Lose Consciousness from Drug Overdose

Shocking video has emerged that shows a crowd of bystanders laughing and joking as an elderly couple passed out from a heroin overdose on the streets of Memphis, TN.

#2 Carla Hiers And Her Partner Passed Out On The Sidewalk

The video shows the female, identified later as Carla Hiers, 59, slowly losing consciousness and falling over as her partner, unidentified, flopped over backward on a bench.

#3 Bystander In Growing Crowd Live Streams The Incident

The event was live-streamed to Facebook when Courtland Garner and his friends happened upon the couple on South Pauline Street after they were seen leaving the Walgreens drug store across the street, staggering and stumbling to where they finally fell to the ground. After they had begun filming, a larger number of gawkers came to see what was happening, but nobody helped.

#4 The Video Instantly Went Viral

The video quickly went viral as the couple lay writhing on the sidewalk while the crowd of young adults does nothing but record it. One person in the clip is heard saying 'That's some good shit they been smoking.' Another walks up to the man on his back over the bench and says, 'This fella might be dead...I hope he's not dead' and someone replies: 'He's got a pulse.'

#5 Everyone Laughed And Joked At Their Expense

Mr. Garner posted on Facebook, 'They out here f***ed up.' Though he never attempted to assist the couple, nor did any of the two dozen or more people in the crowd behind him, who at one point kicked one of the drug users to see if they were still breathing, then placing a bag under his head.

#6 Someone Driving By Finally Calls 911

Someone driving by saw them lying on the sidewalk at South Pauline Street and Eastmoreland Avenue around 3:30 p.m. with the young crowd gathered around them with their cell phones out, and called the incident into 911 dispatchers. Police arrived at the scene around 3:30 PM, which was over one hour after the couple left the Walgreens store.

#7 The Couple Were Hospitalized Then Jailed

Memphis Fire and rescue revived the two, later revealed to be husband and wife, who were both then taken to the hospital in noncritical condition, police said. They also reported that the couple had been in the Walgreens snorting the heroin in the bathroom. Carla Heirs had outstanding warrants for other drug-related offenses, theft, and fraud and the two were taken into custody.

#8 Public Is Outraged Over The Behavior Of The Crowd

Local news station WREG did a story, not on the couple being passed out, but on the fact that the crowd, filmed and posted by Courtland Garner, thought it was funny and something worthy of filming for an audience instead of giving the passed out couple aid or calling emergency crews to help them.

#9 It Was A Spectacle

Garner admits he thought the scene was hilarious when he and his friends saw it, saying "What they were doing was children things. It was a spectacle. It made me laugh. They can help themselves." He added, "I know for a fact all the kids are on social media, and when kids see that video, you know what they are going to say? I don't want to look stupid like that I don't want to do those drugs."

#10 Heroin Use Is On The Rise In Memphis

The video has been viewed almost a half million times already, and Karen Morgan with Turning Point Recovery Memphis and its suburbs are all seeing an uptick in heroin overdoses.She says that regardless of what the bystanders in the video believe, the addicts can't help themselves because their minds have been altered.

#11 Courtland Garner Said He Had No Regrets About Posting The Video Online

Disturbing footage shows couple passed out on the pavement after 'snorting heroin' with nobody offering to help.

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