1 Dead After Officer-Involved Shooting in Memphis, Followed by Heavy Police Presence

Police tape in a file photograph. Scott Olson/Getty Images

A shooting involving police that resulted in one man dead was reported late June 12 at the 2000 block of Durham Avenue in Frayer, North Memphis, Tennessee, drawing a massive police presence on the scene.

Immediate reports emerged of large crowds gathering, as well as rocks and bottles being thrown at officers. Pepper spray or tear gas was then used to disperse the crowd.

Members of the Tennesse Bureau of Investigation (TBI) were called to respond following the shooting.

TBI agents said they were on the way to the scene around 8:20 p.m. local time, according to a post on Twitter.

TBI spokeswoman Keli McAlister said early Thursday that the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force went to a Frayser home to look for a suspect with felony warrants.

Marshals saw the man get into a vehicle and then proceed to ram police vehicles several times before exiting with a weapon, McAlister said.

Police then opened fire, killing the man who died at the scene. McAlister did not say how many marshals fired or how many times the man was shot.

The TBI was able to confirm that the shooting involved one or more members of the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, which is part of the U.S. Marshal Service.

One local official identified the victim as Brandon Webber and said he was shot several times in his family’s front yard. Family members confirmed to the Daily Memphian that 21-year-old Weber died.

In identifying Webber on Twitter early Thursday, Shelby County Commissioner and mayoral candidate Tami Sawyer said “Every life lost should matter...every single one. How many times will this be ok? It cannot continue to be.”

Shortly after the shooting took place, Memphis Police Department (MPD) at Old Allen Station said they had responded to a call for help from the U.S. Marshals.

No officers from MPD were involved in the shooting, although they did assist with crowd and traffic control after.

The officers created a barricade, shoulder to shoulder, near the location of the reported shooting, at Kingsley Avenue and Overton Crossing Street, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

The barricade was created to control the crowd from where the rocks and bottles were being thrown, according to WMC.

Photos showed a line of police officers and patrol vehicles in the surrounding area around 8 p.m, the Commercial Appeal reported.

Local reporter Rebecca Butcher for Local 24 News posted a video of the scene:

Local reporter Luke Jones with WREG-TV said the officers had “created a human wall” and described the scene as “very unusual.”

“Several officers have received minor injuries due to individuals throwing bricks/rocks at the officers. Officers are being check [sic] by paramedics,” MPD wrote on Twitter.

It is not immediately clear what prompted the shooting or the resulting chaos.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

From NTD News