MEMPHIS, Tenn. — New details have emerged in the crash that killed two people, including a Memphis Police officer, and left another officer critically injured.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, both the MPD squad car and the 2019 Nissan Murano were traveling on Danny Thomas Boulevard. The MPD car was going south; the Nissan was going north.
The MPD car made a right turn on Mississippi Boulevard when the Nissan veered left through the intersection onto Mississippi Boulevard. The front end of the Nissan struck the driver’s side center of the MPD car.
Police say the driver of the Nissan, 22-year-old Rantavious Johnson had been shot during an argument a mile away.
Both vehicles exited the roadway, and resting off the road, THP says.
Records show that no one in either of the vehicles was wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.
MPD Officer Demetrice Johnson, 34, and Rantavious Johnson were pronounced dead on the scene. MPD Officer Bobby Fields, 25, remains in the hospital.
We took a deeper look at MPD’s Policy and Procedures and found that in one section it says, “All persons riding in the City of Memphis will be required to wear a seatbelt,” and in the “safety belts” section it reads, “All employees occupying an MPD vehicle must wear a seatbelt in accordance with state law.”
Next Wednesday and Thursday a viewing will be held for Officer Johnson before his funeral on Thursday.