Updated 02/03/23 at 4:41 p.m.
A Memphis Police officer is in critical condition and one person is dead after a shooting inside the Poplar-White Station branch of the public library system Thursday afternoon.
A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson says that according to preliminary information, around noon Memphis Police received a call of suspected trespassing at an unidentified business in the neighboring area of the library, located in East Memphis.
About 30 minutes later the same individual is believed to have gotten into a confrontation with another person inside the library, spokesperson Keli McAlister said.
“As the two officers attempted to talk to the individual, he produced a weapon and shot one of the officers,” McAlister told reporters during a press conference outside the library late Thursday afternoon. “The second officer returned fire, striking the individual.”
TBI later identified the individual as 28-year-old Torence Jackson Jr. from Indianapolis, Indiana. He died at the scene.
MPD said the injured officer, who a local faith leader has identified as Geoffrey Redd, is still in extremely critical condition as of Friday afternoon.
Bishop Brandon Porter with the Greater Community Temple COGIC in Memphis says Redd joined his congregation about four years ago and also provided security services for the church.
"He has offered a lot of care and support to our local ministry and given our members...a sense of ease and comfort just by his presence," Porter said in a phone interview, adding that Redd had demonstrated an adeptness at conflict resolution.
Porter officiated Redd's recent wedding to a fellow church member. He said both Redd and his wife have children from previous relationships.
According to Porter, Redd was also hit by a car while on duty a couple of years ago as he was pulling someone over for a traffic stop. While he could not recall the exact date of the incident, he said Redd was catapulted into the air and suffered serious injuries, resulting in him having to "learn to walk again."
Even after that, Porter says, Redd continued "to put his life at risk for others."
A MPD spokesperson declined to confirm the car incident, saying, "all information that is available at this time has been released."
The library shooting comes at a time when the public’s trust of law enforcement has fallen in the wake of Tyre Nichol’s death. Five former MPD officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder after they were captured on video footage brutally beatingNichols following a traffic stop on Jan. 7. Nichols died three days later.
Porter, who spoke at Nichols funeral, said not to conflate the need for police reform with a wholesale rejection of of the ways law enforcement works to protect the public.
"Our good days with policing outweigh our bad days," he said.
No other injuries were reported inside the library, McAlister with the TBI said. The facility will remain closed at least through Saturday.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is routinely called in to investigate officer-involved shootings and establish and verify facts in these cases.
Memphis Democrat, Congressman Steve Cohen, said he was concerned for the the wounded officer in a statement released on Thursday, noting that details are still emerging.
“I hope for a swift and full recovery,” he said. The level of violence in our city, which affects everyone from ordinary citizens to law enforcement officials, is unacceptable. I am determined to continue working with state, local and federal officials to improve public safety for all Memphians.”
This post will be updated.
