25 Police Officers Injured In Memphis, Tennessee, Following Protests Over Police Shooting

Several police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, were injured on Wednesday due to protests that erupted following a botched arrest.

The whole incident began on Wednesday evening when law enforcement was on the lookout for a fugitive believed to be in Memphis. The fugitive was later identified as 20-year-old Brandon Webber, who was wanted on multiple felonies and located by local U.S. Marshals. However, things took a turn when the man attempted to ram the officers’ vehicles in an attempt to escape. It was then reported that the man exited the vehicle with a weapon drawn and was subsequently shot.

“The officers fired, striking and killing the individual,” Tennessee Bureau of Investigation public information officer Keli McAlister said.

The incident didn’t go unnoticed as a crowd began to gather around the incident in protest to what had happened. Memphis police were then called in to assist in calming the crowd down. The crowd didn’t take kindly to this, and several local outlets revealed members of the crowd began throwing rocks and other items at the officers.

While the protests did not break into a full riot, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland revealed that some police cars were vandalized and a local firehouse had windows broken. Eventually, the police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse the crowd, which did around 10 P.M.

The protests resulted in three arrests being made, along with 25 reported injuries to police officers involved, though most were minor. Six injured officers did have to be transported to a local hospital, along with two journalists injured during the protests.

“The officers did an enormous job tonight showing restraint in a very volatile situation,” Memphis Police Director Michael Rallings said at a news conference.

Despite the apparent praise, there was still criticism aimed at law enforcement for the handling of the whole situation. One of the more outspoken critics has been Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer, who took to Twitter to question the shooting and the use of tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The investigation into the shooting is currently ongoing.