MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An officer with the Memphis Police Department and an 18-year-old gunman were both killed during an exchange of gunfire early Friday morning. Two additional officers as well as a second suspect were also wounded during the gun battle, law enforcement officials confirmed.
Interim Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis identified the fallen officer as Joseph McKinney. He joined the department in 2020 and was assigned to Raines Station. She said a second unnamed officer was in stable condition at Regional One with unspecified wounds. A third unnamed officer sustained a grazing injury by a bullet fragment during the shooting and was treated at the scene, FOX 13 Memphis reported.
Memphis police were dispatched about 2 a.m. to a report of a suspicious vehicle, Davis said at a news conference. Responding officers approached the automobile at Horn Lake Road and Charter Avenue. As officers approached the vehicle they were fired upon by the occupants.
Officers returned fire and engaged in a brief gun battle before the vehicle drove away. Police chased the car, which subsequently stopped a few blocks away. One critically wounded suspect was taken into custody and a second injured suspect tried to flee, but was found nearby.
According to FOX 13, the suspect vehicle was riddled with bullet holes.
Officer McKinney and one of the suspects died during the gun battle. Two officers and one suspect sustained gunshot wounds, Davis confirmed, according to the Associated Press.
Davis said the officer undergoing treatment at the hospital had his condition upgraded to “noncritical.”
An 18-year-old suspect, who was driving the vehicle, and a 17-year-old, were transported to a local hospital in critical condition, where the 18-year-old was pronounced dead, Davis said.
Davis said the deceased 18-year-old had previously been arrested in March for his involvement in a stolen vehicle incident, Channel 3 Now reported.
During the arrest, officers recovered an illegal modified semi-automatic weapon with a Glock switch, enhancing it to full automatic. He faced charges related to the possession of two stolen vehicles and a programming device utilized in car theft.
Despite the charges, he was released without bond, Davis noted.
“The men and women of the Memphis Police Department are hurt right now. As chief of police, I am hurt right now,” Davis said. “And once again, senseless deaths in our community by gun violence. 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 Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) will handle the officer-involved shooting (OIS) investigation.
