One Memphis police officer and one suspect died after exchanging gunfire in the early morning hours on Friday as officers responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle in south Memphis.
Officials identified the deceased officer as Joseph McKinney, who joined the police force in 2020 and worked at the Raines station.
The 18-year-old suspect, who died after being taken into custody and transported to Regional One Hospital in critical condition, was later identified as Jaylen Lobley by the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office.
Two other officers were also injured during the incident as well as an additional 17-year-old suspect.
According to the police department, at around 2:00 a.m. officers approached a vehicle near Horn Lake Road and Charter Ave. A driver and a passenger are believed to have been in the car and fired at officers, Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis said at a press conference Friday morning.
Officers then returned fire and pursued the two young people who fled the scene in the vehicle. One was apprehended a short distance later, Davis said, while the other fled again and was located nearby. Both were transported to the hospital in critical condition from apparent gun shot wounds.
“Today we are here not just to talk about what happened last night, but make an appeal to our community that gun violence has to stop,” Davis told reporters.
One of the injured officers has been upgraded to non-critical condition at the hospital, Davis said and the other was treated at the scene.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting.
Davis said that Lobley was arrested in March in a stolen vehicle with an illegal modified firearm containing a switch giving it machine gun capabilities. She added that he was released without bond after the arrest.
In a written statement, District Attorney Mulroy said he was “deeply saddened” by McKinney’s death. He added that after Lobley's arrest earlier this year, he was released with conditions including a curfew even though the DA's office opposed it.
“This bond was granted by a Shelby County Judicial Commissioner following a hearing where our office strongly argued against lowering the bond, citing the defendant's danger to the community,” Mulroy said. “Despite our arguments, the commissioner approved the [released on own recognizance] bond.”
He added that his office had been “actively prioritizing” the case and that federal prosecutors were also involved.
Both Davis and Mayor Paul Young called the shooting a senseless act of violence and asked for a collective response to prevent future violence.
“We are heartbroken of the lives lost,” Young said. “We know that we as a community have to do more to hold violent offenders accountable for their actions, even our young people.”
Davis said too many people are now left to grieve.
“We’re just really, really disturbed at the boldness and the use of weapons in just all these different situations that we’re seeing in our community,” she said. “As a community we have to do better.”
