UPDATE: The officers involved have been routinely relieved of duty pending the ongoing investigation. The officers will be identified once the debriefing process is complete.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A teen is in critical condition after he was shot during a struggle over a gun with Memphis police officers on Friday in North Memphis.
It began around 6:30 a.m. when officers spotted a black Dodge Challenger sitting idle on the 1900 block of Edward Cove. According to MPD, the vehicle fit the description of a car that was involved in shots fired incident Friday morning.
Police say the car was also stolen.
According to TBI, when officers approached the vehicle, they saw the teen suspect asleep inside the car with a gun in his lap.
After officers made contact with the teen, a struggle over a weapon occurred, and the suspect was shot.
The TBI says the officer fired the shot during the incident.
The 17-year-old suspect was taken to Regional One in critical condition. No officers were injured in this incident.
The TBI says the investigation is ongoing.
This is the fourth officer-involved shooting this month that TBI is reviewing. “TBI agents are working independently to determine the series of events leading to the shooting,” said Keli McAlister, TBI spokesperson.
The shooting has left the teen’s family outraged and questioning the circumstances.
“Ain’t no way [he] struggled with a gun, with one hand. He ain’t do that,” said a woman claiming to be the victim’s sister.
She says the shooting was unjust, despite investigators telling WREG he had a weapon. “Maybe he was in the wrong, nobody saying that he wasn’t in the wrong, but y’all stop F*** saying my brother had a d*** gun.”
When asked if the teen’s alleged weapon was ever fired, TBI officials say it’s too soon to say. “That would be something that would be determined through our investigation,” said McAlister.
WREG has put in a request for additional information from MPD about this incident and is still waiting to hear back.
