A police officer and an 18-year-old suspect were shot and killed in a gunfight in Tennessee early Friday, and two other officers and a 17-year-old were injured, law enforcement officials said.
Interim Police Chief CJ Davis said at a news conference that Memphis officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle around 2 a.m. As officers approached, the occupants of the vehicle opened fire and officers returned fire, Davis said. Three police officers and two suspects were struck by gunfire.
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The suspect drove off, and police pursued the car until it stopped several blocks away. Davis said one suspect was immediately taken into custody and another was found nearby.
A Memphis Police Department vehicle outside the Memphis Police Department’s Entertainment District Division. (Photo by Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
One of the officers who was shot, Joseph McKinney, died, she said. The deputy officer was taken to the hospital, but his symptoms were upgraded to mild. The third officer, who sustained burn injuries from the gunfire, was treated at the scene.
The two suspects driving the car, an 18-year-old and a 17-year-old, were taken to the hospital in critical condition, and the 18-year-old died, Davis said.
Davis said he doesn’t know what led to the call reporting a suspicious vehicle.
“The men and women of the Memphis Police Department are hurting right now. As police chief, I’m hurting right now,” Davis said. “And yet again, we are seeing senseless deaths from gun violence in our communities. We are here today not only to talk about what happened last night, but also to talk about gun violence. This is to tell the community that this has to stop.”
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Police said prosecutors have been contacted and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will investigate.
