Tense moments
Policeman recovering after being shot in the leg
A Memphis police officer responding to a complaint of gang activity was shot in the leg by a suspect about noon Thursday in Whitehaven.
Officer Robert Armour, 32, was in stable condition and doing “fine” at the Regional Medical Center, Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong told reporters outside the hospital Thursday afternoon. At a town hall meeting Thursday night, Armstrong gave an update: “He has been released from the hospital. He is at home resting.”
Armour, a member of the Organized Crime Unit for the past four of his 8 ½ years with Memphis Police, was following up on a complaint of gang activity at 1637 Kirkwood, Armstrong said. The residence is southwest of Millbranch and East Shelby Drive.
Armour spotted a “person of inter-
est” leaving the residence by car. The officer followed in his own vehicle. When the suspect realized he was being followed, he stopped and got out of his car, Armstrong said.
Armour also got out of his vehicle and identified himself as an officer, Armstrong said. That’s when the suspect fired multiple gunshots, striking Armour in the leg.
The officer was shot in the 900 block of Hester Drive shortly before noon. The suspect then fled and was arrested in the 1600 block of Kirkwood. His name had not been released.
A man who was working on Hester said he heard shots fired.
“We heard two shots and then saw a car go flying by,” said Chico Nelson, who was building a deck for a homeowner in the neighborhood. “We then heard the officer scream and then it got all quiet. The ambulance came and (the officer) was sitting up when it left.”
Harrison Stephens, who has lived on Hester Drive since 1988, said it was startling to see the dozens of police cars on his normally quiet street.
“When we heard the shots and then saw police come from everywhere, it was surprising,” Stephens said. “But I was glad to hear the officer was going to be OK.”
Armstrong said he talked to Armour while he was at the hospital. “He’s in good spirits. He’s with his wife and his mom right now. He knows exactly what’s going on.”
Armour was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
“It’s the call that you just do not want to get,” Armstrong said of being told that an officer had been shot. “You know the likelihood of it happening is very real. This is a reminder of just how dangerous this job is.”
For nearly an hour, police swarmed outside the hospital, lining Jefferson Avenue with at least 25 police vehicles and controlling access along Jefferson.
By 12:50 p.m., traffic began flowing freely past the hospital again, and most of the squad cars, unmarked cars and MPD motorcycles had left.