Memphis Cop Killed During Traffic Stop, Suspect On The Run
The Memphis Police Department is mourning the loss of one of their own after a veteran cop was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Saturday by a male suspect who fled the scene, according to CNN.
At approximately 9:18 p.m., a civilian – whose name has not been released – was heard over 33-year-old police officer Sean Bolton’s radio notifying Memphis police officials that he had been shot near Cottonwood and Perkins Road.
When police arrived at the scene, Bolton was still alive but in critical condition. He was rushed to Regional Medical Center but later died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to ABC News.
Bolton was a former U.S. Marine Corps and had been working for the Memphis Police Department since October 2010. He was recently the best man at his brother’s wedding and had lost his father in July.
Police officials questioned residents at a nearby apartment complex after the shooting incident, and a witness claimed to have seen a man, who was driving a suspicious security vehicle, shooting at officer Bolton before fleeing the scene. But the man’s identity remains unknown.
Sunday morning during a press conference, an emotional Police Director Toney Armstrong stated that this is the third police officer to be killed in the line of duty in four years. He went on to say that “this is just a reminder of how dangerous the job is.”
“It doesn’t get any easier,” Armstrong said. “This is a very difficult time, not only for me as director, but for all the officers that you see standing behind me and a difficult time for our city as well.”
“We’re talking about, from what we know now, routine traffic stop… results in an officer losing his life.”
Mayor A.C. Wharton Jr. also added that the death of officer Bolton “speaks volumes about the inherent danger of police work and asked others to pray for the family and pray for our city.”
“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.”
Hunt on for cop killer in Memphis. Pic of slain officer, Sean Bolton #FoxNews #RIP http://t.co/CpdX3K0zxh pic.twitter.com/81D5rYK5Nn
— Will Carr (@WillCarrFNC) August 2, 2015
A manhunt was immediately in effect after Memphis cop Sean Bolton was killed during a traffic stop, and a person of interest is currently in custody. However, further details have been withheld as the investigation is ongoing.
[Image via YouTube Screen Capture]
