MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis police officers are justified in the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old man last year in Whitehaven as he ran at one officer while holding a knife.
Abdoulaye Thiam was shot on the night of Jan. 2, 2019, outside his home at 1317 Timothy Drive. The incident was recorded on the officers’ body-worn cameras.
Police were called to the home by someone inside the house who said there was a disturbance. When officers arrived, Thiam was in the front yard holding a knife, and would not respond to their orders to drop it.
Instead, Thiam ran toward one officer with the knife in his hand. Three of the four officers fired shots, including one officer who was trying to avoid being stabbed. Thiam was shot four times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
DA Weirich said officers were justified in using deadly force because Thiam “posed a threat of serious bodily injury” to one or more officers. She said the man’s actions left officers with no other alternative.
According to procedure, the incident was investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. That report – and a PowerPoint summary by DA Weirich – now is posted at https://www.scdag.com/officer-involved-deaths