Police Officer Joseph Russell McKinney

Joseph Russell McKinney

Police Officer Joseph McKinney was shot and killed while investigating a suspicious vehicle at the intersection of Charter Avenue and Horn Lake Road at about 2:00 am.

He and other officers were approaching the vehicle when the occupants opened fire on them. Officers returned fire before the car fled. The officers pursued the vehicle and took two wounded subjects into custody after it stopped.

Officer McKinney was transported to Regional One Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds. Two other officers were wounded.

The adult subject died of his gunshot wounds, and the juvenile subject suffered critical gunshot wounds. The adult subject was out on bond from an arrest the previous month in which he had been charged with possession of a modified semi-automatic weapon and two counts of grand larceny related to vehicle thefts. The juvenile pleaded guilty to facilitation of second-degree murder and multiple counts of reckless aggravated assault and was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Officer McKinney had served with the Memphis Police Department for over three years. He is survived by his wife.