Libraries are supposed to be quiet zones but on February 2, a Memphis library was the scene of gunfire.
A Memphis police officer shot a man and killed him after the man opened fire on another officer. The incident happened in a public library on Thursday, leaving the officer critically wounded, authorities said.
The Memphis Police Department, which has for the past month been under a microscope after five cops beat young Tyre Nichols to death, said that the person who was shot died at the scene.
The injured police officer was rushed to a nearby hospital and is said to be in critical condition, according to the department.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Keli McAlister said they were called to investigate the incident by the Memphis Police Department, which responded to reports about an individual trespassing at one of the businesses near the public library on Thursday at around noon.
About half an hour later, the trespasser got into an altercation with someone inside the library. When responding officers tried to talk him down, he pulled out a firearm and shot at one of the officers.
The second officer pulled out his gun and shot the man, fatally wounding him.
Fifty-nine-year-old witness, Brad Winchester, who often goes to the Poplar-White Station library, said everything was nice and quiet when he arrived at around noon. There were only about five people and the library staff inside.
Winchester said that when he walked into the building, he saw two law enforcement officers talking to a man he did not recognize. Winchester walked to his usual seating area and started reading a book. Barely two pages in, he heard gunshots ring out.
The 59-year-old said several shots were fired, and he and a woman hid behind a bookcase. When the shots stopped, he looked up and saw a wounded officer on the ground and another trying to help him.
Local District Attorney Steven J. Mulroy asked the Bureau of Investigation to investigate the shooting. The DA’s office is already leading the prosecution of five officers from the Memphis Police Department charged with second-degree murder in the Tyre Nichols death after body cam footage of them mercilessly beating the defenseless man was released to the public.
The Bureau of Investigation released a statement saying they worked independently to investigate the Nichols killing, including conducting interviews and collecting evidence. All findings will be shared with the DA for review and consideration.