TBI investigating death at 201 Poplar
Gershun Freeman was in jail for aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault of his ex-girlfriend. (Daily Memphian file)
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death of an inmate at 201 Poplar Ave.
The inmate has been identified by TBI as Gershun Freeman, 33, who was in jail for aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault of his ex-girlfriend.
“At the request of 30th Judicial District Attorney General Steve Mulroy, TBI special agents continue to investigate the Wednesday night death of an inmate while in the custody of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office,” said Josh Devine, a public information officer with TBI. “The investigation remains active and ongoing at this time.”
Freeman’s father, George Burkes, said the family got a call from authorities that his son got in a fight Wednesday evening around 7 p.m. But they didn’t get the call until 1:30 a.m., and all they had heard was that Freeman had gotten into a fight, he said.
He said the family hadn’t heard anything about a death until they visited a morgue Thursday afternoon, and an employee confirmed Freeman’s body was there.
“She walked outside and told me, she said, ‘they just brought him here,’ ” Burkes said. “Like he hadn’t been there but maybe about 10 or 15 minutes, but this happened last night.”
He said he had never heard of his son getting in trouble until recently.
“My son, he got in trouble that time when he was in there, but my son, he’s a good kid,” he said. “And my son’s 33 years old, I never had a problem out of my son in my life until now. He’s a good kid, hard-working man.”
Freeman’s cause of death remains unknown until results from the autopsy report come back, Devine said.
District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said he is aware of the situation.
“The District Attorney’s office is aware of the death that occured in the Shelby County jail Wednesday evening and has called Tennessee Bureau of Investigations to investigate,” he said. “The investigation is ongoing and we have no further details at this time.”
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201 Poplar Tennessee Bureau of InvestigationJulia Baker
A lifelong Memphian, Julia Baker graduated from the University of Memphis in 2021. Other publications and organizations she has written for include Chalkbeat, Memphis Flyer, Memphis Parent magazine and Memphis magazine.
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