MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The indictment of former Memphis Police Department officers Marquavius Williams and Ontarian Malone Jr. confirm an unauthorized May 6, 2023 pursuit that led to the death of one woman.
Williams and Malone were indicted on two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, six counts of official misconduct and four counts of leaving the scene of an accident. They were booked on May 8, arraigned on June 21, 2024, and both are out of jail on $30,000 bond each.
The April 4, 2024 indictment doesn't provide much in terms of new details, but does confirm the unauthorized pursuit previously reported by ABC24 and give greater information for the official misconduct charges.
The six official misconduct charges are for an unauthorized pursuit in their vehicle, using that vehicle as a battering ram, failing to operate emergency equipment, failure to report the pursuit, failure to render aid and failure to report damage to the emergency vehicle.
Both officers resigned in January 2024 while under investigation.
Williams and Malone were shown in a Facebook post by the City of Hernando Police Department being sworn in during a February 2024 ceremony.
Hernando Police Department officials said they resigned from the department after finding out about the indictment.
The officers were allegedly on patrol on May 6, 2023 when they "observed a suspicious vehicle," according to documents ABC24 obtained from Tennessee's Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.
The officers pursued the vehicle after it left the gas station, and there was no evidence or information that the vehicle was involved in any type of crime or violated any traffic laws.
Body worn cameras and in-car video was not activated by either officer, and emergency lights were turned off by Williams while he was driving.
"Officer Williams was operating the patrol car and pursued the vehicle without activating blue lights or siren and failed to turn on his body-worn camera and/or in car video," the documents read. "No supervisor nor the dispatcher were notified and the vehicle being pursued wreck out resulting in a fatality and multiple passengers being taken to the hospital with injuries.
"Neither Officer Williams nor his partner rendered aid to the vehicle occupants."
The documents say the officers also did not call for an ambulance for the crash.
Both officers have both been charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving death, six counts of official misconduct, four for leaving the scene of an accident, according to court records and confirmation from the Shelby County District Attorney's Office.