(Memphis) Two Memphis police officers are relieved of duty after they shot and killed an armed robber afternoon.
It’s standard protocol for the department to do this after a police-involved shooting.
A group of criminals thought they could make a quick buck by robbing a McDonalds on Frayser Boulevard. Instead, it cost one of them their lives. Police shot and killed him.
“They gave chase and they had to do what they had to do to defend themselves,” said Mike Williams with the Memphis Police Association.
Police say one of the robbers running away, stopped, turned around and faced the officers with a gun in his hand. The officers both opened fire. Police still aren’t sure which officer fired the fatal shot but Williams says that he believes the officers made the right choice.
“You act with the force necessary to control the situation,” he said.
He says officers use deadly-force to protect lives. In this case, they were protecting their own. Still, after the shooting, the officers had to take an alcohol and drug test and are now being investigated by the homicide bureau. If their actions are deemed justified, they will get their badges back and get back to work in Memphis, where Williams says they risk their lives every day.
“Since April, 2011 we have had 12 officers that have been shot. That`s a lot of police officers that have been shot!”
And just two weeks ago, Officer Martoryia Lang, mother of four, was shot and killed while serving a drug-warrant.
“Do you think that was on the mind of these police officers?” asked Reporter Sabrina Hall.
“Oh, very much so. Very much so,” said Williams.
Williams says the officers were both shaken-up by the shooting. He says the City of Memphis should provide post-traumatic stress disorder treatment for officers who find themselves in situations like this.
