A Memphis Police officer who was shot at a public library after responding to a call on Feb. 2 has died.
Officer Geoffrey Redd was transported to the hospital in extremely critical condition following the shooting incident and died Feb. 18 after weeks under medical care, the Memphis Police Department announced.
“He should be remembered as a person who sacrificed for others,” said Bishop Brandon Porter with the Greater Community Temple COGIC in Memphis, where Redd not only taught Sunday school but also worked as the head of the church’s security.
Redd was struck in the head with a bullet Porter said, and he never regained consciousness at the hospital. MPD did not confirm where Redd was hit.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is still investigating the incident that led to Redd’s death. According to preliminary information, police responded to a trespassing call from an east Memphis business on the afternoon of Feb. 2. The suspect, 28-year-old Torence Jackson Jr. from Indianapolis, later entered the nearby Poplar-White Station library branch and is believed to have then gotten into a confrontation with another patron inside.
After attempting to speak with Jackson, the TBI said, Jackson produced a weapon and shot Redd. Redd’s partner returned fired, killing Jackson. TBI is routinely called in to investigate officer involved shootings.
In addition to 15 years on the police force, Redd had also served with the Marine Corps.
“Just a genuine individual – he loved God, he loved his family, and he loved people,” Porter said, adding that he officiated Redd’s wedding to a fellow member of the church in September. Redd leaves behind children from a previous marriage.
Redd had also been injured in the line of duty previously, Porter noted. He said Redd was “catapulted several feet in the air” and almost lost his eye sight after a car struck him on the side of a road during a traffic stop.
“I can remember him vividly coming to church in a wheelchair,” Porter said. “He was a true soldier and a true officer that stood in the gap to bring safety to others.”
A date for a funeral has not yet been set, Porter said.
