An off-duty Memphis police lieutenant was shot in an ambush attack outside of his home in Mississippi early on Monday morning, and was rushed to the emergency room.
The ambush occurred at approximately 6 a.m. on January 17th, outside the police lieutenant’s home on Cotton Row Drive in the Miller Farms neighborhood of Olive Branch, Mississippi.
According to the incident report, the off-duty officer had just gotten into his personal car to drive to work, and was backing down the driveway when the suspect vehicle blocked him in. Shots were fired into his vehicle, causing him to drive back up his driveway. The lieutenant then jumped out of his vehicle and ran toward the woods behind his home.
This information was confirmed in a statement by Capt. Jeremy Dodson, an officer with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department.
“The off-duty officer was leaving for the day to go to work. He was backing out of his driveway,” Dodson said. “The suspect’s vehicle approached him from behind, blocked him in his driveway and fired several shots.”
It is unclear if the off-duty officer shot back at the shooter or shooters.
According to information provided to the media by the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office, the lieutenant was shot once. He was transported to the hospital where he was listed in “non-critical condition.”
Tish Clark, a spokesperson for the department, revealed that the officer was hit in the shoulder and is expected to recover. He has since been released from the hospital.
No arrests have been made as of yet, nor have the police publicly identified a suspect. The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office has no additional details regarding the incident to release at this time, according to reporting from local news outlet WMC.
Olive Branch, Mississippi, where the ambush occurred, is located about 25 miles from Memphis, Tennessee, where the off-duty police lieutenant worked.
Authorities have asked anyone with information on the ambush attack on the Memphis police lieutenant to call (901)-528-CASH, WREG reported.
The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is still ongoing.
