Cop in fatal shooting failed gun training

Personnel records show that two of the three Memphis police officers involved in a fatal police-involved shooting on Jan. 2 had either failed firearm testing or been suspended twice for department violations.

Officers Brandon Jones, Carlos Donaldson and Timothy Hamilton were identified in the fatal shooting after police said Thiam approached them brandishing a knife outside his home that night.

All three officers were placed on administrative leave while the Memphis Police Department turned the investigation over to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.

The department identified the officers involved in the fatal shooting about a month after the incident. Records were released the next week after the officers were identified.

Jones started working in the city as an officer in 2010 — holding the longest tenure with MPD out of the three officers.

In 2011, Jones was involved in a car crash in the parking lot of a Piccadilly restaurant. He never received a citation because the crash happened on private property, records show.

Brandon Jones

In January 2014, Jones was disciplined by the department for running a red light and striking a car while he was responding to a call. The driver of the car Jones hit was transported in an ambulance to the hospital with minor injuries, records show. Jones was suspended for three days. In February 2015, Jones was suspended for several days after he was charged with a felony for vandalizing the front door of his girlfriend’s home. Jones was absolved of the charge because his girlfriend signed a refusal to prosecute form, according to MPD records.

Carlos Donaldson

Donaldson failed his firearm proficiency tests twice, according to police records dating from Dec. 5, 2017. Records also showed Donaldson failed to meet the minimum standards during a shooting course, failing in four areas including trigger control and target acquisition.

Donaldson received a recommendation from an instructor to be removed from the basic recruit training due to the amount of firearms testing failures, records show.

Timothy Hamilton

Hamilton began working as an officer in 2016. Records show no sign of department violations or firearm failures for Hamilton.

All three officers are assigned to Raines Station and are currently relieved of duty pending the ongoing investigation, according to police.

On the night of Thiam’s shooting, officers responded to a domestic call around 8 p.m. on Jan. 2 in the 1300 block of Timothy Drive. Thiam confronted an officer with a knife, according to the Memphis police.

Officers fired shots and Thiam was later pronounced dead at the scene.

The body-worn camera footage of Thiam’s shooting was turned over to the TBI, according to police.