MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Two Shelby County deputies will not be charged in the death of a 46-year-old Cordova man.
Edmond Otis Studdard was shot in July 2016 after he threatened the law enforcement officers with a knife in the 1100 block of Big Orange Cove, the District Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday.
Before deputies arrived, Studdard had reportedly been driving erratically, crashed his truck and slashed his own wrists with a razor. He was covered in blood and refused to drop the weapon when ordered to do so.
He continued to make verbal and physical threats, and even reportedly told deputies he wanted them to shoot him.
They opened fire when Studdard continued to advance towards them, hitting him in the neck and right arm.
Studdard died two months later on September 5 due to complications from the injuries.
“Mr. Studdard clearly was a troubled man, and even the efforts of a specially trained Crisis Intervention Team deputy could not alleviate the danger he posed to both himself and to the deputies,” said Attorney General Amy Weirich. “Sadly, there was no other alternative for the deputies when he advanced on them with the knife.”
The investigation into the shooting was conducted by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The report files were then handed over to the District Attorney’s Office for review.
To view the TBI report, click here.