Correction: After initial publication of this story, The Daily Memphian received new information about the judicial commissioners involved in Jaylen Lobley’s release.

A Memphis police officer was killed Friday morning, April 12.

The Memphis Police Department said officers were responding to a suspicious vehicle call near Horn Lake Road and Charter Avenue. They were fired at by suspects and returned fire, according to MPD’s initial report.

Here’s what we know so far:

The MPD officers

Officer Joseph “Rusty” McKinney, 26, was the officer killed Friday.

McKinney joined the police force in 2020, according to Interim Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis.

Originally from Munford, he leaves behind a fiancee and a 4-year-old daughter.

Two other officers making the scene of the call were shot.

One of them is in noncritical condition, and the other was treated on the scene and is in stable condition.

The suspects

One of the suspects, 18-year-old Jaylen Lobley, also died Friday. His name has not been officially released. Sources familiar with the matter identified him to The Daily Memphian. 

Lobley was arrested on weapons charges March 5. 

His charges from that arrest, according to court records, were: 

• Theft of property worth $10k to $60k
• Unlawful carrying or possession of a weapon
• Prohibited weapons- certain guns
• Vandalism $1,000 to $2,500

Upon arrest, MPD recommended a $150,000 bail for Lobley.

Judicial commissioner Mischelle Alexander-Best gave him a $10,000 bail on March 5.

Two days later, judicial commissioner Christopher Ingram released Lobley on his own recognizance with conditions, including a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. 

There was initially some discrepancy on which judicial commissioner released Lobley.

The Shelby County District Attorney’s Office told The Daily Memphian that it was Ingram who released Lobley, a fact confirmed by court records.

Shelby County’s 14 judicial commissioners all ‘experienced attorneys’

“Perhaps if he had still been in jail, he would still be alive,” said General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Ronald Lucchesi, who would have presided over the rest of Lobley’s proceedings.

Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said in a statement Friday afternoon that his office argued against lowering his original $10,000 bail. 

“My office was actively prioritizing the Lobley case, identifying him as a high-risk offender and reviewing his file as part of our Project Safe Neighborhoods state-federal partnership,” Mulroy said. “Even though Lobley was a first-time offender, his case had been accepted for Federal prosecution.”

Scanner traffic describes chaotic scene

Officers at the scene could be heard describing what appeared to be a chaotic situation around Horn Lake Road early Friday morning. 

Officers can be heard asking for more backup amid dispatch's confusion about how many officers are hit. Those at the scene can be heard breathing heavily 

“Please God another officer hit. Send us another unit,” one officer said.

There was confusion about how many officers were hit. One officer confirms two.

“We got aviation up and en route,” one officer said. 

“We’re going to need all of the interstates shut down,” an officer said. 

Officers describe where the suspects went, saying they fled west toward Hewlett Road.

At about 2:30 a.m., according to time stamps on scanner traffic, an officer can be heard saying a second suspect is being held at gunpoint by Raines Precinct officers, where McKinney and the officers were stationed. 

“Both of these suspects have gunshot wounds. We’re gonna need to take them to the fire station,” an officer said on the scanner at about 2:40 a.m. “Can the fire department make the scene?”

According to scanner traffic, two ambulances made it to RegionalOne sometime before 3 a.m. 

From the affidavit

Lobley was arrested March 5 after officers responded to a suspicious vehicle call at 1111 Richland Drive in Whitehaven.

Officers were called about a red Dodge Charger in the home’s backyard, according to an affidavit.

Officers found Lobley asleep in a White Infiniti Q50 in the driveway and arrested and removed him from the car, the affidavit reads.

They discovered a Glock 19 handgun loaded with 30 live, 9mm rounds in an extended magazine and one live round in the chamber, it reads.

‘Who are these judicial commissioners’ reviewing arrests and setting bail?

The gun was found in between the driver’s seat and the center console, where Lobley was sitting. The affidavit also says that the gun had a “switch,” a device commonly used to turn semi-automatic firearms into automatic ones.

After running the vehicle’s VIN number, the affidavit says that it was discovered stolen out of MPD’s Ridgeway Road precinct.

Lobley was transported to MPD’s Auto Theft Task Force office and admitted to using a vehicle programmer to steal both the Charger and the Infiniti. He also told investigators that he got the gun from a third car that he was trying to steal “about a month ago,” according to the affidavit.

“The defendant stated that he has fired the weapon and can verify that the ‘Glock Switch’ functions as it should, converting the weapon to a fully automatic machine gun,” the affidavit reads.

First officer killed in 2024

McKinney’s death marks the first MPD officer killed in the line of duty this year. His death is the first since Officer Geoffrey Redd died on Feb. 18, 2023 after he succumbed to gunshot wounds, two weeks after an altercation at the Poplar White Station Library. 

TBI investigating

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shootout and released a statement Friday evening.

“We trust the TBI to conduct a thorough investigation,” Mulroy said. “Once it’s concluded, we’ll review the findings to determine appropriate next steps.”

The Daily Memphian reviewed scanner traffic audio provided by Broadcastify.

Editor’s note: Comments have been disabled on this story due to the evolving nature of the information.