Memphis police officer and suspect dead after shootout; multiple officers injured

Steffany Uthe
·2 min read
1

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A Memphis police officer and an 18-year-old suspect are dead after an exchange of gunfire that wounded two other officers and another suspect early Friday morning, Police Chief C.J. Davis said.

The Memphis Police Department identified the officer who was killed as Joseph McKinney, who joined the department in 2020. The suspect who was killed was not identified.

A second officer was taken to a hospital but has been upgraded to non-critical condition. A third officer who was grazed by gunfire was treated at the scene.

A second suspect, age 17, also was injured. That suspect is in custody.

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“As chief of police, I am hurt right now,” Davis said outside Regional One hospital. “Today, we are here not just to talk about what happened last night but to make an appeal to our community that gun violence has to stop.”

The shooting happened in Southwest Memphis.

Memphis Police say around 2 a.m., officers responded to a suspicious vehicle call. As they approached the vehicle, a suspect fired shots at the officers, who returned fire.

The vehicle fled and was later located. One suspect was captured immediately, while another ran from the scene and was found nearby, police said.

Davis said the 18-year-old who was killed Friday had been arrested in March in a stolen vehicle with an illegal weapon that had been modified to perform as a fully automatic weapon. He was charged over two stolen vehicles and a programming device used to steal cars.

The 18-year-old was released without bond, she said.

LISTEN: Audio below is from police scanners during the incident. Skip to 21 minutes into the recording. Via Broadcastify.

  • Officers work the scene in Southwest Memphis early Friday.
    Officers work the scene in Southwest Memphis early Friday.
  • This car, riddled in bullet holes, was at the scene.
    This car, riddled in bullet holes, was at the scene.
  • Shelby Drive and Horn Lake Road is closed for the investigation.
    Shelby Drive and Horn Lake Road is closed for the investigation.
  • Officers were seen outside Regional One wearing black bands on theitr badges.
    Officers were seen outside Regional One wearing black bands on theitr badges.

The District Attorney and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation have been called in to conduct the investigation.

“We need a community call to action,” Mayor Paul Young said, asking the community to help prevent violence. “We do need community action. The only way to reverse this thing is if everybody plays a part.”

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