About Us Justice Process Victim/Witness Services Expungement Media/Public Information Contact Officer Involved Deaths When a person dies at the hands of a law enforcement officer in Shelby County, a specific and detailed protocol is followed by law enforcement as well as the District Attorney's Office. Such incidents deserve careful attention as they can have criminal, administrative and civil consequences. They also may attract scrutiny from the public and can have an important impact on the relationship between law enforcement officers and the community they serve. It is important that this formal protocol be followed. In 2015, the District Attorney, Memphis Police Department (MPD), Shelby County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) signed a memorandum of understanding changing the manner in which officer involved death investigations are conducted and handled. Pursuant to the memorandum of understanding, the District Attorney is notified immediately when an individual dies at the hands of law enforcement or dies while in the custody of law enforcement, if warranted by the circumstances. The District Attorney, in turn, notifies TBI and asks them to conduct the investigation. At the conclusion of the TBI investigation, the file is delivered to the District Attorney General for her review. Copies are provided to each assistant district attorney assigned to the Officer Involved Death Review Team for their review as well. The team consists of four (4) senior attorneys: the deputy DA, the administrative assistant for the Grand Jury, the administrative assistant for the trial courts and the director of training. PROCEDURE WHEN CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE FILED The charges will be filed in compliance with the same procedures as any other criminal filing. An indictment will be prepared and presented for approval by the Shelby County Grand Jury. Charges will be filed if there is sufficient admissible evidence to create a reasonable chance for a conviction after considering defenses that could be raised with that evidence. The file will be maintained by the District Attorney's Office and will become available and open to the public for review at the conclusion of the criminal prosecution and any subsequent appeals and in accordance with Tennessee case law and rulings of the court. As with any other criminal case, the file cannot be considered open to the public until a) one year has passed from final judgment in the case and b) there are no pending post-conviction proceedings. (See Pennell v. Woodall, Davidson County Chancery Court No. 1-719-II (III) (June 13, 2011); and The Tennessean, et al. v. Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County, No. M2014-00524-SC-R11-CV.) PROCEDURE WHEN CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE NOT FILED If criminal charges are not filed, the specific reason(s) for declining prosecution shall be set forth in a letter that includes a summary of the facts, a legal analysis and a conclusion of law. The decision letter will be sent to the head of the law enforcement agency involved in the incident. A copy of the decision letter, as well as the TBI investigative file, then will be posted on the DA’s website at www.scdag.com. In accordance with Tennessee law and privacy standards, redactions will be made to exclude lay witness identification, social security numbers, telephone numbers and home addresses. Also, the names of officers, investigators and others involved in the case will be redacted. Every effort is made by this office to meet with the family of the deceased and explain our decision. Since there generally is no dispute that the officer intended to shoot or otherwise harm the person, the determination of whether the conduct was criminal is primarily a question of legal justification. Under Tennessee law, a peace officer is justified in using deadly force upon another person when he/she reasonably believes that it is necessary to defend himself/herself or a third person from what he/she reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of deadly force. A death may be ruled "justified" or the ruling may be that there is insufficient evidence of a criminal offense, or that there is not a reasonable likelihood that all the elements of the crime could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, unanimously, to a jury of 12 people after considering reasonable defenses. A shooting also may be a justifiable use of deadly force to apprehend a fleeing, immediately dangerous felon. The fact that an officer involved death may have been questionable, that it raised community concerns, or that it involved possible violations of police policy does not make it criminal. The fact that a shooting may be controversial or that it involves conflicting accounts does not mean there is a criminal remedy. Administrative or civil remedies are generally the purview of the local government, police department or private attorneys in arenas where the standards of proof and rules of evidence are less stringent than in criminal law. It is also important in these cases to allow the public access to the information this office had in reaching its decision. The links below are to completed OIS investigations. TBI Darrius Stewart-TBI-ME-76C-000007 TBI Jonathan Bratcher-TBI-ME-5U-000001 TBI Alexio Allen---TBI-ME-5U-000002 TBI Luis Soto---TBI-ME-5U-000003 TBI Jimmy Lee Lawson-TBI-ME-5U-000005 TBI Edmund Otis Studdard-TBI-5U-000004 TBI Nancy Lewellyn-TBI-ME-5U-000006 050672 170317 170842 NF 721 REDACTED 050733 170317 170833 S 748 REDACTED 050661 170317 170644 NF 701 REDACTED TBI Bryan Gregory TBI-ME-5U-000008 IR# 69 Crime Scene Video With License Plate REDACTED TBI Terrance Carlton TBI-ME5U-000009 IR 12 Crestcore Surveillance Video 2 1 REDACTED IR 12 Crestcore Surveillance Video 1 REDACTED STREAM00000 REDACTED Summer Sandridge bodycam REDACTED TBI D'Mario Perkins TBI-ME-5U-000010 Mitchell and Third REDACTED 1 IR29 oevn1qza 00002 TBI scene 3 REDACTED IR6 sf3fqnsg BWC4 Third Mitchell 2 REDACTED IR29 ikqoxt42 00003 TBI scene 2 REDACTED IR6 mqnhfoz3 BWC3 Third Mitchell REDACTED IR29 wfuazx2l 00001 TBI scene 4 REDACTED IR6 so1ydltw BWC5 S Third MITCHELL IR29 ecc5ur2f 00000 TBI scene1 IR6 czst3dyp BWC2 Winchester South Third REDACTED TBI Keyshon Parham TBI-ME-5U-000012 TBI Jason Hill TBI-ME-5U-000015 IR-54_Radio_Traffic-REDACTED IR#37 TBI Crime Scene Video 2 REDACTED IR#37 TBI Crime Scene Video 3 REDACTED Lobby 2 ch58 20190207152648 REDACTED Lobby Door Int 1 ch42 20190207152648 REDACTED Lobby Door Int 2 ch42 20190207153700 REDACTED Lobby Side Door Ext ch39 20190207152648 REDACTED West Pkg Lot ch34 20190207152648 REDACTED2 TBI Toby Bailey TBI-ME-5U-000011 IR#98FINV Act Investigative Activity Officer Bs Front Camera Footage REDACTED COMPRESSED IR#98R INV Act Investigative Activity Officer B Rear Camera Footage REDACTED IR#99 INV Act - Investigative Activity - BPD Officer (LE-A) P Vehicle Footage (front)- REDACTED IR#100F INV Act – Investigative Activity – Summary BPD SP Vehicle Camera Front REDACTED IR#100R BPD SP- REDACTED TBI Brandon Webber TBI-ME-5U-000017 See press conference here. TBI Andre Horton TBI-ME-5U-000013 District Attorney Weirich summarizes Horton decision here. TBI Martavious Banks TBI-ME-76C-000010 District Attorney Weirich summarizes Banks decision here. ATT 100 BWC 1268 Gill WREDACTED ATT 101 BWC 1268 Gill WREDACTED P182602254 1830 ATT 1361 BWC 1268 Gill WREDACTED Copy ATT 1362 BWC 1268 Gill WREDACTED ATT 1371 ICV 1258GillAve CN P182602254 P7401Back 1823hrs ATT 1381 ICV 1258GillAve WREDACTED P182602254 P7401Front 1823hrs REDACTED ATT 1382 ICV 1258GillAve WREDACTED P182602254 P7401Front 1830hrs FINAL ATT 143 1268 Gill WREDACTED P182602254 1830 FINAL ATT 146 NOT 87 1260 Gill WREDACTED P182602254 1830 REDACTED ATT 154 1268 Gill WREDACTED P182602254 1823 REDACTED ATT 155 1268 Gill WREDACTED P182602254 1830 REDACTED FINAL TBI Abdoulaye Thiam TBI-ME-5U-000014 District Attorney Weirich summarizes Thiam decision here. TBI James Kirkwood TBI-ME-5U-000018 District Attorney Weirich summarizes Kirkwood decision here. IR#65 199 N Fourth REDACTED IR#74 Crime Scene Video 1 IR#74 Crime Scene Video 2 IR#77 MPD K Lowe body camera REDACTED IR#78 MPD Shaw body camera REDACTED IR#82 208 Poplar CH9 REDACTED FINAL R#82 208 Poplar CH06 IR#82 208 Poplar CH07 TBI David Hoal TBI-ME-5U-000016 District Attorney Weirich summarizes Hoal decision here. IRATT#9 CPD Ofcr 1 Video 201906030814 P503 195665125 REDACTED IRATT#32 CPD Ofcr 1 Video IAB interview VTS 01 1 REDACTED IRATT#49 CPD Ofcr 2 IDC Video 201906030816 P403 196826218 REDACTED 2 IRATT#49 CPD Ofcr 2 IDC Video 201906030816 P403 196826218 REDACTED 2NoAudio TBI Antonio Smith TBI-ME-5U-000020 District Attorney Weirich summarizes Smith decision here. IR 36 BWC REDACTED IR 37 BWC REDACTED Footage 1 13 20 VCRT Crime Scene 2 11 20 00000 REDACTED VCRT Crime Scene 2 11 20 00001 REDACTED VCRT Crime Scene 2 11 20 00002 REDACTED VCRT Crime Scene 2 11 20 00003 REDACTED TBI Brian Cooper TBI-ME-5U-000021 District Attorney Weirich summarizes Cooper decision here. TBI Willie Hudson TBI-ME-5U-000019 District Attorney General Weirich summarizes Hudson decision here. Get the latest updates from the Shelby County District Attorney Shelby County District Attorney 201 Poplar Avenue, 11th Floor Memphis, TN 38103 Phone: 901-222-1300 Email: info@scdag.com Website Design by CPMG