Police capture man suspected of killing Memphis police officer

A man suspected of fatally shooting a police officer in Memphis over the weekend surrendered to authorities on Monday after an extensive manhunt and being placed on the state’s most-wanted fugitives list, the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators, who’d warned that Wilbourn was armed and unsafe, had been working round the clock to track him down, the police chief said.

The sister of Tremaine Wilbourn, the man accused of fatally shooting a Memphis police officer, said her brother “was defending himself”.

“He said, ‘I want you to know that one, I am not a cold-blooded killer and two, I am not a coward, ‘” Armstrong told reporters, according to the New York Daily News.

“I think it’s safe to say that when you look at this individual, you’re looking at a coward”.

After his arrest on Monday, Wilborn told police that ” I’m not a cold-blooded killer”, and “I am not a coward”.

Wilbourn faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of Bolton, 33, Armstrong said Sunday. Officer Bolton shined his squad car’s spotlight on the illegally parked vehicle when he saw it. Afterwards he got out of the auto and went to check Wilbourn’s Mercedes. He then got out and approached the vehicle.

Bolton was a Marine who served a tour of duty in Iraq, police said. Officer Sean Bolton was shot in the head during the incident and died that same evening.

But the most touching, he said Monday, was from the family of a New Orleans police officer shot dead in June.

Wilbourn and the driver of the Mercedes ran away, and a neighbor used Bolton’s radio to notify police about the shooting.

Police said Wilbourn is out on supervised release after being sentenced to 10 years for bank robbery.

Wilbourn was released from prison on July 1, 2014, after serving nine years.

Wilbourn is charged with first degree murder.

Earlier Sunday, police officers wearing protective vests descended on an apartment complex in southeast Memphis, about three miles from the scene of the shooting. We appreciate the contributions Officer Bolton made to our community and also his contribution of being a good neighbor.

“Last night, we lost not only an officer, but a great man, a dedicated servant to our community and a family member”, Armstrong said.

Police say Wilbourn took out a gun and fired, striking Bolton multiple times.