The man police say was responsible for the Friday shooting that claimed the life of a Memphis police officer and left two more wounded was previously arrested in March on theft and gun charges.
Memphis Police Department (MPD) arrest and bail records obtained by The Tennessee Star reveal that 18-year-old Jaylen Lobley, who died in the Friday shooting with police, was previously arrested on March 5 after police responded to a call about a suspicious vehicle.
The police report reveals officers encountered Lobley after 2 a.m., asleep in a vehicle they determined to be stolen, and were able to retrieve “a loaded black Glock 9mm handgun” from between Lobley’s legs before the sleeping suspect noticed their presence.
According to a Memphis Police Department detective’s bond recommendations for Lobley (pictured above), he “made an admission of guilt to stealing” the vehicles, then “also admitted to being in possession of the Glock handgun and getting it from a vehicle approximately six months ago.”
Justifying his request for a court to assign Lobley a $150,000 bail, the detective noted, “A check through the defendant’s arrest history shows the defendant to have several previous arrests for weapons, aggravated assaults and motor vehicle thefts in Shelby County.”
Despite the Memphis Police Department (MPD) detective requesting a $150,000 bond for Lobley, Shelby County Judicial Commissioner Mischelle Alexander-Best set the bail at $10,000.
Two days later, during a March 7 bail hearing, Lobley told the court he could not afford the $10,000.
Judicial Commissioner Christopher Ingram subsequently released Lobley on his own recognizance but assigned the suspect a curfew, ordering him to remain at home from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. unless traveling between home and work or school.
About one month after Lobley was released with a curfew, police say he and a 17-year-old fired at police officers who were called to investigate a suspicious vehicle on Friday, with the suspects opening fire on MPD officer Joseph McKinney and two other officers as they approached the vehicle.
The vehicle reportedly fled after the suspects fired at police, prompting the officers to return fire, but was quickly located. After finding the car, police say one of the suspects attempted to flee on foot while the other was taken into custody.
Both McKinney and Lobley were transported to Regional One Health, where they succumbed to their injuries.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jaylen Lobley” by Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
The County Commissioners hire these “judicial commissioners.” I hope they are all feeling real proud of their actions in allowing criminals to run rampant with no bail. Perhaps, the people need to be voting these people into positions of authority…
Judges who release these people who are public menaces should be charged. If you release someone as a judge and they commit another crime, you should be held liable.
Nothing ever changes in Memphis
And the liberals keep working to ban the possession of firearms. This is EXACTLY why we need the right to carry concealed weapons. The current judicial system panders to the criminal at the expense of the law abiding. Defund the police and let the violent offenders back on the street.
Enter Memphis at your own risk.