MEMPHIS, Tenn. — On Wednesday January 27, two Memphis police officers shot and killed a man they said fired at them first.
- According to police, just before 3 p.m., two Memphis police officers tried to pull over a Chevy Impala near Lowell and Trezevant.
- Police say the driver took off and led them on a short chase.
- The pursuit was called off. The suspect’s car kept going until it hit two cars and crashed near Mississippi and South Parkway.
- Witnesses say two men jumped out of the car and police began chasing them.
- Police and at least one witness say one of the men from the car turned and shot at police who returned fire.
- One man was shot and died on the scene. Family members have identified the man as Johnathan Bratcher.
- Bratcher was indicted in 2009 for felony possession of a 12 gauge shotgun and several 12 gauge rounds of ammunition. He entered a guilty pleas to the weapon charge in 2010 and was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and three years supervised release in December 2010. In November 2015, a warrant was issued for him for violating the conditions of his supervised release.
- As of Thursday morning, the other man in the car was still on the loose.
- The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was immediately called in to handle the investigation.
- The TBI has a memorandum of understanding with Memphis and Shelby County. That means there is an agreement that the TBI investigates officer-involved shootings here.
- The TBI report will then be handed to the Shelby County District Attorney.
- TBI Spokesperson Josh DeVine shared the investigation’s preliminary information with WREG Wednesday but indicated there is only so much the TBI can disclose.
- The agency said they would not be identifying the two MPD officers who were involved in the incident. Instead, that’s up to their department.
- The Memphis Police Department is field testing two body cameras. An officer wearing the cam did show up at the scene after the shooting. It is not clear if the officer recorded any video. If video was recorded, it will be handed over to the TBI.
Last month was the first time D.A. Amy Weirich released a TBI report to the public. A judge approved it. WREG got to look through the Darrius Stewart case page by page. It contained witness statements, videos, pictures, and autopsy information.
WREG asked Weirich’s office if she anticipates turning over the report for this officer-involved shooting. Her spokesperson said she is out of town for the rest of the week but offered this statement, “Let’s allow the TBI to complete their investigation, then we can answer your questions.”
There is an effort in the state capitol to do away with the secrecy around TBI reports.
State Representative G.A. Hardaway and State Senator Brian Kelsey filed House Bill 2091/Senate Bill 2023, which would require the TBI to investigate officer-involved shootings across the state. It essentially seeks to extend the agreement the TBI has with Memphis and Shelby County to the rest of the state. The TBI would hand over its findings to the district attorney and attorney general.
However, the bill takes it a step further.
The bill states, “After receipt of the report by the district attorney general and attorney general and reporter, the report shall be a public document.”
Both legislators told WREG the bill aims to protect the public and the police.
“This legislation will actually protect everyone involved. It’s going to ensure that the public has confidence in the process, and having an actual independent investigator is really going to protect officers, so that in cases where there really is no question of wrongdoing, then that way, everyone can be clear that there is no wrongdoing,” Kelsey explained.
Hardaway said he hopes to see investigations completed in a timely fashion. He told WREG he wants the investigations to be thorough, trustworthy, and transparent.
“The transparency is how our democracy stays a democracy,” Hardaway said.
Hardaway said he expects to see the bill in committee by the second or third week of February.