Memphis police: St. Jude researcher was defending wife before he was shot in robbery

Micaela A Watts and Lucas Finton, Memphis Commercial Appeal
Updated ·4 min read
18

Following the arrest of two people this week in the shooting death of a St. Jude researcher, Alexander Bulakhov, court documents paint a picture of a robbery escalating to a homicide.

The shooting happened in Downtown Memphis on Sunday around 8 p.m. in front of 495 Tennessee St. Police found Bulakhov, 32, bleeding from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to Regional One Health, but died from the injuries shortly after.

Less than 24 hours later, Memphis police arrested two individuals — Marious Ward, 23, and Brandy Rucker, 22 . The two were charged with first degree murder in Bulakhov's death.

The intersection of Butler Avenue and Tennessee Street, near where Alexander Bulakhov, a St. Jude researcher, and his wife and daughter were walking when Bulakhov was shot defending his wife during an attempted robbery, is seen in Downtown Memphis, on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
The intersection of Butler Avenue and Tennessee Street, near where Alexander Bulakhov, a St. Jude researcher, and his wife and daughter were walking when Bulakhov was shot defending his wife during an attempted robbery, is seen in Downtown Memphis, on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

According to court documents, Bulakhov, his wife, and his 2-year-old daughter were out for a walk when a man in ripped jeans, a hoodie, and a ski mask approached his family and started waving a gun.

After the man, identified as Ward in records, demanded what is described as "property," Bulakhov handed Ward his wallet, court records show. But Ward then allegedly turned the gun on Bulakhov's wife, demanding more property, the records show.

It was then, according to court documents, that Bulakhov began to struggle with Ward in an effort to protect his wife. During the struggle, Ward's gun went off, shooting Bulakhov.

After, police said, the suspects quickly took off in a white Toyota Camry. The same car was seen by police Monday afternoon, and the investigation took the officers to the area of Whitney Avenue and Steele Street.

Video evidence of the shooting depicted a male exiting the same car police found, and "walk toward the victim and witness and shooting the victim," according to court documents.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of a valued member of the St. Jude community," St. Jude said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with Alexander’s family and we are working to support them during this difficult time."

Ward and Rucker were also charged with a slew of crimes related to the shooting, including especially aggravated robbery, first degree murder in perpetration of an aggravated robbery, criminal attempt first degree murder, criminal attempt aggravated robbery, and employing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony.

A pathway towards the Mississippi River and Butler Park near where Alexander Bulakhov, a St. Jude researcher, and his wife and daughter were walking when Bulakhov was shot defending his wife during an attempted robbery is seen in Downtown Memphis, on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
A pathway towards the Mississippi River and Butler Park near where Alexander Bulakhov, a St. Jude researcher, and his wife and daughter were walking when Bulakhov was shot defending his wife during an attempted robbery is seen in Downtown Memphis, on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.

Rucker, court documents said, confessed to police that she was driving the vehicle before and after the shooting.

According to Bulakhov's LinkedIn profile he was a postdoctoral research assistant with St. Jude, working in the structural biology department. He earned his master's degree in chemistry and enzymology from Moscow State University in Russia in 2013 and was a genetic engineer in Russia until 2018.

In late 2018, according to his LinkedIn, he came to the U.S. and began working as a postdoctoral researcher at State University of New York's Downstate Health Sciences Center in Brooklyn, New York. He came to Memphis to work for St. Jude in July.

Bulakhov's killing comes during the late parts of a year that has been on pace to become the worst year for crime since the FBI and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation began collecting and publicly releasing data in 1995.

The number of homicides in Memphis city limits has far outpaced previous years through the end of September, with 269 reported by the Memphis Shelby County Crime Commission. That outpaces the previous record-setting year, 2021, by 63 homicides — and is a 32% increase when accounting for population changes.

Downtown Memphis Commission President and Mayor-Elect Paul Young called the killing "senseless" and said he was in regular communication with MPD and his transition team is working to develop a "hard-hitting crime plan" to launch within the first 100 days of his administration.

"I am appalled and saddened by the events of this weekend and the senseless murder of Alexander Bulakhov," Young said in a statement. "Today, I am a Memphian, a father, a husband and a parent first. Today, I am just like you. I feel the anger, frustration and grief that has enveloped our community. And even though the suspects have been arrested and charged, this will not change the outcome of this tragedy. My heart goes out to his family and the families of all of those impacted by violence in our community. My prayers are with them."

Young said the crime plan his administration will implement come Jan. 1, 2024 will bring together a swath of community leaders and law enforcement officials.

"Crime is, unfortunately, an American problem, not specific to Memphis, and it's going to take a multi-pronged, hard-hitting and focused effort to turn it around. We are ready," he said.

Ward and Rucker also face robbery charges and those follow a year-long increase in a category that has seen a 20% increase through the first nine months of 2023 compared to 2022. It is a 42% increase from the same time period in 2021.

Both Ward and Rucker are being held without bail and will be arraigned in Shelby County Criminal Court on Wednesday.

Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering healthcare, hospitals, and resource access. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: 2 arrested after Memphis shooting of St. Jude's Alexander Bulakhov