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TBI investigative file released in Memphis police shooting case

By Deborah Fisher|2019-09-11T18:56:09-05:00December 15, 2015|Categories: crime records|Tags: Amy Weirich, James R. Newsom III, Mark Gywn, Memphis, police shootings, Shelby County, TBI|0 Comments

The Shelby County District Attorney has posted on her website TBI's investigative files into the shooting death of 19-year-old Darrius Stewart by a Memphis police officer in what may be one of the first times such TBI files have been made public. See Memphis Commercial Appeal story here: TBI files in Darrius Stewart case now open for public review Shelby County Chancellor James R. Newsom III ruled last week that the normally confidential files could be released after the district attorney, Amy Weirich, and TBI Director Mark Gwyn petitioned the court, saying that releasing the files would be in the public's interest. Weirich had recommended that the Shelby County grand jury indict Memphis police officer Connor [...]

Bringing in TBI to investigate deadly force by police raises transparency question

The Tennessean reports today that two of the state's major police departments - Knoxville and Nashville - are opposed to a proposal that would hand all investigations into local police killings to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. When someone is killed by a local law enforcement officer, the large police departments in the state historically have conducted their own investigations to determine if lethal force was justified, or if there was wrongdoing on the part of the officer. Under open records law in Tennessee, documents from a closed police investigation are accessible to the public, allowing transparency into the process. State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis Two Memphis lawmakers - [...]