TBI files additional charges against one suspect in Collierville case
Collierville police close off the area around Academy Sports and Outdoors on New Byhalia Road on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. (Abigail Warren/The Daily Memphian)
Additional charges were filed by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday against one of two people in a shoplifting case that led to a Collierville police officer firing at the fleeing suspects’ car a night earlier.
The new charges against Keshun Lee, 18, were for aggravated assault on a first responder and felony fleeing in a motor vehicle. Those charges were in addition to theft and attempting to tamper with evidence filed by Collierville police against Lee after his arrest Tuesday night.
Rebecca Bruce, 19, also was charged with theft and attempting to tamper with evidence in connection with the shoplifting case, and a summons was issued to a 17-year-old in connection with the case. Police do not release the names of juveniles.
The new charges were presented to Lee while he was already in the Collierville Jail on the previous charges. He and Bruce were being held under a $10,000 bond on the original charges.
The new charges from TBI came after discussions with Shelby County District Attorney Gen. Steve Mulroy.
Mulroy called in the TBI to investigate the case. It’s standard practice for the district attorney to call the state agency in incidents where an officer fires a weapon.
The series of events began about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when police responded to a shoplifting at Academy Sports + Outdoors on New Byhalia Road in the Collierville Crossing shopping center. According to an affidavit, an officer observed two men hiding ammunition in their coats and pant pockets. About $400 worth of ammunition was reported taken.
As officers tried to stop the suspects fleeing in a car, the driver swerved towards one of the officers, who fired at the vehicle, authorities said.
The suspects’ car continued on and was later found at a nearby theater parking lot. Some of the ammunition was found near the car. According to the affidavit, Bruce said Lee told her to throw the stolen ammunition out of the window to dispose of the evidence.
The suspects were captured at a nearby Starbucks.
Neither the officers nor the suspects were injured in the incident.
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Collierville Collierville Police Department shoplifting officer-involved shootingAbigail Warren
Abigail Warren is an award-winning reporter and covers Collierville and Germantown for The Daily Memphian. She was raised in the Memphis suburbs, attended Westminster Academy and studied journalism at the University of Memphis. She has been with The Daily Memphian since 2018.
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