MEMPHIS -- A person is dead and a Memphis police officer was critically injured in a shooting Thursday afternoon at the Poplar-White Station library in East Memphis.
Memphis Police responded to the library at approximately 12:32 p.m. when the incident occurred, according to WREG-TV.
The male officer was transported to Regional One Hospital in “extremely critical condition” after the shooting. The other person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident started around noon when police responded to a trespassing call at a business in the 5100 block of Poplar, Keli McAlister with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told reporters. Two officers later confronted the same man at the nearby library.
The suspect produced a weapon and fired at one of the officers; the other officer returned fire, killing the man. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has identified the deceased man as Torence Jackson Jr. of Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana state records show Jackson was arrested 32 times in Indiana since 2017 on various arson, drug, and intimidation charges.
No further information has been released.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said he visited the officer’s family and other MPD officers Thursday afternoon. “Please pray for the injured police officer. I spent the afternoon with the officer’s family, pastor and some co-workers, and they need to be uplifted in prayer too,” he said in a statement.
