MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The funeral service for a Memphis Police officer who died in the line of duty Friday, April 12, was held Monday afternoon.
Services for Joseph "Rusty" McKinney began at 1:30 p.m. at Hope Church in Cordova at 8500 Walnut Grove Road.
His loved ones remembered a man with a personality larger than life.
“Every time he would come in the room, he would just light it up," McKinney's mother-in-law Maria Corina Najara said. "[He] lit it up with his big smile, his laugh, his kindness and his corny jokes. You all know those corny jokes."
Loved ones and coworkers said McKinney had an unrelenting willingness to step in and help those he served with.
"He had a kind soul," Najara said. "He’d always be there for anyone that needed it. He would give you the shirt off his back and the shoes off his feet.”
The service was immediately followed by burial at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave., in Memphis.
"We were just all police officers; we were just police officers, all loving on one other," Lt. Vonzell Bibbs, Raines Station Alpha Shift Supervisor, said during the service. "And I believe he brought us together to get back to where we need to be, to love on one another, to be unified as a team, as we deal with what we have to deal with on these streets.”
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Monday that flags at the state Capitol would fly at half-staff in remembrance of Officer McKinney.
Two Memphis Police officers were rushed to the hospital with gunshot wounds early Friday morning after being shot on duty in southwest Memphis while responding to a call.
Interim Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis confirmed one officer, McKinney did not survive his injuries.
"We have a family and wife grieving, and the families of the suspects grieving," Davis said.
Memphis Mayor Paul Young said the city needs a community call to action.
"We are heartbroken of the lives lost, our fallen officer, in this senseless act of violence," Young said. "We know that we as a community have to do more to hold violent offenders accountable for their actions, even our young people, we have to make sure that we are pressing for accountability."
McKinney served out of Raines Station, joining the Memphis Police Department in 2021.
“A true hero," Interim MPD Chief CJ Davis said Monday. “Officer Joseph McKinney was a shining example of courage, integrity, and selflessness. He put his life on the line!”
The Memphis Police Association Charitable Foundation started a fundraiser on Facebook to support his family.
If you would like to make a donation, visit HERE.