Court appearance for Memphis police shooting suspect

Both the suspect responsible for the shooting and the driver of the vehicle fled the scene before additional officers arrived, police said. Then Wilbourn and the driver ran away as a civilian used Bolton’s radio to notify police, authorities said. “Look at the impact that that’s had on this department, this community, this city for less than 2 grams of marijuana – a misdemeanor citation and a fine”.

“All the signs were there”, Armstrong said. He is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 33-year-old Officer Sean Bolton. Bolton died at a hospital.

Police said Wilbourn took out a gun and shot Bolton multiple times. But, she says, Wilbourn told the officer that he couldn’t because his arms were restrained. He was sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison and released on probation in July 2014.

Officers could be seen going in and out of a sliding door and onto a balcony on the second floor of the two-story building.

The officer’s wife, who asked to remain anonymous, echoed former NYPD officer John Cardillo’s remarks that domestic violence calls and traffic stops are the two most risky encounters cops can face.

ANTIOCH, Tenn. (AP) – A man with “significant” psychological issues who was armed with a hatchet and pellet gun unleashed a volley of pepper spray at audience members inside a movie theater Wednesday before being fired at by a police officer and shot dead by a SWAT team as he tried to escape out a back door, police said. In December 2012, Officer Martoiya Lang was killed while serving a warrant.

Memphis police spokeswoman Karen Rudolph said that she did not want to “entertain that comment” and that the evidence will speak for itself.

“The men and women in blue have certain rules of engagement that they have to follow, but at any given minute in a 24-hour day they’re dealing with folks who have no rules of engagement”, Wharton said.

Watkins says her brother described Bolton putting him in a hold and telling him to put his arms up.

Jason Mendoza, a minister at Woodland Presbyterian Church, said Bolton served as the best man at the wedding of his brother, Brian Bolton, this summer.