© 2024 WKNO FM
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

TBI Investigates Shooting that Led to Protests in Frayser

Updated at 7:23 p.m.

After a violent clash between protesters and Memphis police Wednesday night, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the shooting that precipitated the stand off. U.S. Marshals killed a 20-year-old Memphis man while attempting to arrest him in the Frayser neighborhood. 

Cell phone footage from the scene shows Memphis Police officers in full riot gear, shields up, facing dozens of angry residents. Memphis officials said at least 36 officers were injured by thrown rocks and bricks. Several television journalists were assaulted.

Police eventually used tear gas to disperse the crowd. 

In a press conference Tuesday morning, MPD Director Michael Rallings praised the "restraint" used by local authorities. 

"We should all wait and make sure that we know exactly what happened before we spread misinformation or we jump to conclusions," he said. "The Memphis Police Department, we've been very supportive of protests, but we will not allow any acts of violence. We will not allow destruction of property. We will not allow acts of vandalism to occur."

Details about the shooting were released just before dawn today. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says U.S. Marshals confronted Brandon Webber outside a Frayser residence in the 2000 block of Durham Ave. Officials had warrants for his arrest. The suspect allegedly rammed his car into the officers' vehicles multiple times before exiting his own vehicle with a weapon.

On Thursday afternoon, DeSoto County District Attorney, John Champion, held a press conference to clarify the warrants.

Officials allege that on June 3, Webber responded to a car sales ad on Facebook using a fake account. He traveled to Hernando, Miss. and went for a test drive with his intended victim. Webber allegedly shot the owner five times, then stole the car, a red Infiniti. The victim, who is still hospitalized, identified Webber from a photo line up. Warrants were issued June 8 on charges of aggravated assault and car theft, Champion said.  

Because Webber was an out-of-state suspect, U.S. Marshals were sent to apprehend him in Tennessee.

"The marshals were advised...of the serious nature of the charges that we had here," Champion said at the press conference. "So obviously when they were up in Memphis looking for him, they were very aware of his propensity for violence toward our victim down here."

The red Infiniti Webber is accused of stealing was the same used to ram officers' vehicles before marshals shot him dead, Champion said.  

Champion said authorities are still searching for another Memphis suspect involved in the Hernando incident. The suspect is believed to have driven Webber to Mississippi. 

Friends of Webber painted a different portrait of the young man.  

"I remember he was a very talented art student," said Greg McCullough, principal of Central High School, where Webber was a student. "He seemed to really love his experience at Central High[,] and he engaged well with others." 

Mayor Jim Strickland says that Memphis police were originally called to maintain the scene until the TBI could investigate and collect evidence. Speaking with WMC Action News 5, Strickland said the crowds delayed the investigation.

"They couldn't maintain the scene while they were under siege and being assaulted," the mayor said. "So they really needed to disperse the crowd. And the TBI, I don't think, really felt comfortable getting to the location until roughly 2 o'clock in the morning."

Conflicting details of the shooting emerged quickly on social media, including claims that Webber was unarmed and that he was shot more than a dozen times. 

Late Thursday afternoon, the Memphis Police Department reported that vehicles damage included 15 Memphis police cars, 3 Shelby County Sheriff's Office cars, and 5 other vehicles from other agencies. Three individuals were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. One of those three was additionally charged with inciting a riot. 

The six police officers that were taken to the hospital last night have been released.    

Reporting from the gates of Graceland to the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, Christopher has covered Memphis news, arts, culture and politics for more than 20 years in print and on the radio. He is currently WKNO's News Director and Senior Producer at the University of Memphis' Institute for Public Service Reporting. Join his conversations about the Memphis arts scene on the WKNO Culture Desk Facebook page.