MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The family of the man who allegedly killed an off-duty Memphis police officer is speaking out.
Lorenzo Clark is charged both in federal court and general sessions with being a felon in possession of a handgun.
Those charges come after a shoot out with officer Terence Olridge more than two weeks ago.
He was supposed to have appearances in both courts Wednesday, but the cases were continued.
The US Marshals Service told WREG, usually when someone is booked to appear in both federal and general sessions courts in the same day, the general sessions appearance is continued.
But family members were still there at 201 and said they want people to know the real story.
Carolyn Wallace is Lorenzo Clark’s mother. She is desperate for his firearm possession cases to be heard and finished quickly. “I want him to come home,” Wallace said.
Family members said Clark barely knew his neighbor, Officer Terence Olridge and insist the two never had problems.
That is until they said Olridge pulled up next to Clark, asked him if he had a problem, and then, “I spoke to a witness who said the same thing that he said,” Clark’s aunt Denise Adams told WREG. “That he speeded around the neighborhood, and shortly after she heard gunshots.”
At the advice of Clark’s attorney, they will not go into more detail or say what sparked the conflict.
Adams said the gun he is charged with possessing, the one allegedly used in the shoot out, is registered to his wife.
Although they admit he made mistakes in his past, family insist Clark is a good man who they hope will be cleared. “He was trying to protect himself,” Adams said.
Clark’s general sessions case was reset for tomorrow at 9.
His federal case is set for Monday at 2:45.
