The sister of Tremaine Wilbourn, the man accused of fatally shooting a Memphis police officer, said her brother “was defending himself”.
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Toney Armstrong was contacted at 4:53 p.m. and advised that Wilbourn had turned himself in to the U.S. Marshalls Office. “I asked what was that?”
“He’s a coward. You gun down, you murder a police officer for literally less than 2 grams of marijuana”, he previously said.
Former University of Cincinnati Police Officer Ray Tensing faces charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter for shooting Samuel DuBose in the head during a traffic stop July 19. Officer Sean Bolton saw an illegally parked auto on the streets of Memphis, pulled up in front of it and shone his spotlight.
Police say he approached the vehicle and likely interrupted a drug deal.
WMC Action News reports that McAlister’s Deli, a local restaurant, set a table for Officer Bolton on Sunday, placing a glass of sweet tea, Officer Bolton’s favorite drink, at his usual spot, along with a sign reading, “Reserved: Officer Bolton”.
The violence was senseless given how mundane the stop was, Armstrong said.
Bolton, a five-year veteran of the force, was wearing a bullet proof vest during the shooting but no body camera, according to police. “I think he felt the walls closing in and felt it was in his best interests to turn himself in”.
Officials had called a press conference for Monday night to announce an increase in the reward for information leading to his capture.
Officer Sean Bolton, 33, was struck multiple times Saturday night. Wilbourn’s lawyer argued during sentencing that he was persuaded by his uncle to join the robbery to help him with his finances and “he was awaiting news regarding a possible college scholarship based on his athletic ability”.
Police officers wearing protective vests descended on an apartment complex in southeast Memphis on Sunday, about three miles from the scene of the shooting.
“Now we hope Officer Bolton can truly rest, that his family can begin to grieve, and that as a community we can all begin to heal”, his department said in a statement. In December 2012, Officer Martoiya Lang was killed while serving a warrant.
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“This is my third time in four years, and it doesn’t get any easier”, Armstrong said.
