Teen charged in death of Memphis police officer pleads guilty

By , Daily Memphian Updated: October 10, 2025 3:12 PM CT | Published: October 10, 2025 12:22 PM CT

Joseph “Rusty” McKinney died April 12, 2024, during a shoot-out between 13 officers and two teenage suspects. 

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Joseph McKinney Devaron Taylor
Aarron Fleming

Aarron Fleming

Once an intern, he never left, joining the staff full-time in 2022 as an education reporter. He moved to public safety in 2023, where he covered some of the city’s biggest court cases, including the criminal trials for those charged in the deaths of Tyré Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also chronicled the Shelby County Jail and the deaths that have occurred at the facility.

He now provides suburban coverage, focusing on Desoto County and the surrounding municipalities.

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