TBI confirms man shot by US Marshals was not the suspect they were after

Updated: Aug. 25, 2020 at 10:38 PM CDT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A portion of Elvis Presley Boulevard was shut down for hours after a U.S. Marshal shot a man around 3 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.

“This is my neighborhood, and I come down here and shop every day,” Pearline Webber said, who was headed to the MAPCO in the 2400 block of Elvis Presley Boulevard for gas when she was stopped by multiple roadblocks.

Law enforcement swarmed her neighborhood gas station located at Elvis Presley Boulevard and Alcy.

According to the U.S Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, their officers were searching for a suspect wanted for first-degree murder and possession of weapon charges.

Marshals surrounded the vehicle they thought was associated with the suspect they were looking for, but it turned out to be the wrong person.

We’re told the driver began to ram the Marshals’ vehicles that surrounded him while trying to get away. That’s when a U.S. Marshal fired at least one shot.

“It’s just really insulting that the police have the right to shoot anybody just because they think,” Wheeler said.

According to reports, the young man left the vehicle and ran across the street into the woods where they were caught and transported to Regional One to be treated for what is believed to be non-life-threatening injuries.

Investigators say they later learned the vehicle involved in the incident was stolen.

The TBI is now leading this investigation, as is customary with all officer-involved shootings. This is the 31st officer-involved shooting they have investigated this year.

A U.S. Marshals spokesperson says they will not reveal the identity of the marshal who fired his weapon until the investigation is complete.

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