On Sunday evening, Memphis police officials named a suspect in Saturday's shooting death of MPD officer Sean Bolton and released more details around the incident.
During a press conference, Memphis police chief Toney Armstrong said Bolton was shot as he interrupted a drug deal when he approached a vehicle for being illegally parked Saturday night. Inside the car, Armstrong said, police found a scale and 1.7 grams of marijuana.
Armstrong also named a suspect in the shooting, 29-year-old Tremaine Wilbourn, who was allegedly a passenger in the car.
Warrant issued for Tremaine Willbourn, 29, in connection to fatal shooting of MPD Ofc. Bolton. http://t.co/bIMGIayOgo pic.twitter.com/WH3gCfr0oa— Commercial Appeal (@memphisnews) August 2, 2015
According to authorities, Willbourn had been on supervised release related to a 122-month sentence for armed robbery. Fox 13 in Memphis reported earlier in the day that the driver had already met with police.
Earlier on Sunday, authorities reported that a handgun had been recovered near the scene of the shooting, but there's no confirmation as to whether or not the gun is linked to Bolton's killing. A person of interest was also taken into police custody on Sunday, but authorities have offered few details.
Officers recovered a hand gun in a field near Cottonwood Apartments near the scene where MPD killed. @memphisnews pic.twitter.com/R2eRAlB5R7— Mike Brown (@SingSaraswati) August 2, 2015
Bolton's death is the third killing of a Memphis police officer in the line of duty since 2011. Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton, Jr. told the Associated Press, "The men and women in blue have certain rules of engagement that they have to follow, but at any given minute in a 24-hour day they're dealing with folks who have no rules of engagement."
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