A Thursday afternoon shooting at the Poplar-White Station library in east Memphis has left one police officer in “extremely critical condition.”
The Memphis Police Department (MPD) announced that officers responded to a call at approximately 12:32 p.m. Thursday at the library, located at 5094 Poplar Avenue.
Following an initial report that the suspect was transported to a hospital for injuries, MPD confirmed that the individual involved in the incident was not transported to the hospital, as they were pronounced deceased on the scene.
Update: the individual involved in this incident was not transported to the hospital. The individual was pronounced deceased on the scene. The officer involved remains in extremely critical condition. Both involved were found to have been shot.
— Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) February 2, 2023
“The individual involved in this incident was not transported to the hospital. The individual was pronounced deceased on the scene. The officer involved remains in extremely critical condition. Both involved were found to have been shot,” MPD stated.
Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) are investigating the circumstances leading to the Thursday shooting at the request of 30th Judicial District Attorney General Steve Mulroy.
TBI reported in a press release:
Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 12 noon, officers with the Memphis Police Department were called to a business in the 5100 block of Poplar Avenue due to an individual suspected of trespassing. About 30 minutes later, the same individual is believed to have gotten into a confrontation with another citizen inside a neighboring business, the Poplar-White Station Library. According to initial reports, as the two officers attempted to talk to the individual, he produced a weapon and shot one of the officers. The second officer returned fire, striking the individual. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. The injured officer was transported to a local hospital in extremely critical condition.
TBI added that the agency is continuing to “determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
