Shot Tuesday by U.S. Marshals looking for someone else, a 17 year old now faces criminal charges.
It turned out that the teen was not the man the marshals were after. The shooting angered local residents, who took to the streets in protest, demanding — among other things — the release of the name of the officer who shot the teen.
GALLERY: Gary S. Whitlow/GSW Enterprises
The teenager, whose name has not been released, was treated at a local hospital. After his release from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon, Special Agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Agents arrested him, charging him with six counts of aggravated assault, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, one count of theft, and one count of vandalism.
The TBI began an investigation at the request of Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich.
The shooting was part of a scenario that unfolded at a gas station in the 2400 block of Elvis Presley Blvd. Officers from the United States Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force were trying to arrest a fugitive murder suspect after finding a vehicle matching the description of one believed to be connected to him.
According to the TBI, officers tried to surround the vehicle they thought was connected with the fugitive murder suspect they sought. A TBI release reports that the 17 year old “tried to flee by backing up and ramming nearby vehicles several times, including those belonging to officers and at least one civilian. A US marshal then fired his service weapon at the vehicle, striking the teen in the arm, after which he ran from the vehicle, across the street, where officers arrested him.”
Later, while processing the scene of the shooting, TBI Agents located a loaded handgun in the vehicle. The vehicle had been reported in Germantown on Monday.
The teenager, who was charged with the vehicle theft, was detained at the juvenile detention center n Shelby County. It was not clear whether he was represented by a lawyer.
