MEMPHIS, Tenn.: A man suspected in a downtown Memphis shooting that left three people injured fled in a stolen vehicle that fatally struck a police officer, police said Sunday.
Justine Welch, 21, faces multiple charges that include first-degree murder, vehicular homicide, attempted first-degree murder, evading arrest and theft of property over $10,000, police spokeswoman Sgt. Karen Rudolph said in a news release. The release did not disclose Welch’s hometown.
Welch was being held at the Shelby County Jail. Jail records didn’t indicate whether Welch has an attorney.
Officer Verdell Smith, 46, was pronounced dead from his injuries at 10:43 p.m. Saturday, Memphis Police Department Director Mike Rallings said during a news conference.
Police said two people were taken to the hospital after being shot at about 10 p.m. Saturday by the suspect, who then ran to a retail complex and shot a male employee.
Memphis police spokeswoman Sgt. Karen Rudolph said Sunday the 21-year-old employee has been released from a hospital, while the other two victims, ages 39 and 57, remained in critical condition. Their names weren’t released.
Police said the suspect then fled in a vehicle and later struck Smith, who had been working with other officers to clear the area. The suspect then fled briefly on foot but was apprehended by police and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Rudolph said the vehicle driven by the suspect was reported stolen earlier in the day.
Rallings said Smith was an 18-year police veteran who is survived by a father, fiancee, son and two daughters.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland posted a message on Facebook.
‘‘I call on every Memphian to remember Officer Smith’s family in prayer and reflection today and in the coming days — and to be grateful for the dangerous, important work our men and women of MPD perform every day,’’ his post said.