MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The mother of Jaylin McKenzie, the 20-year-old shot and killed during a chase with Memphis Police in 2022, has retained Carlos Moore Law Group as she continues with a lawsuit against the city and officers involved.
“We are dedicated to fighting for justice and seeking accountability in this tragic case,” stated Carlos E. Moore.
Just before midnight on Dec. 16, 2022, MPD said officers made a traffic stop on American Way, where the driver took off and ended up in a grassy area off Cochese Ave. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said at least three people took off running, and an MPD officer and McKenzie exchanged gunfire, and McKenzie was killed.
In her lawsuit, Ashley McKenzie Smith accuses MPD officers of violating her son’s civil rights by using “unreasonable and excessive force” and denying him proper medical treatment. Smith is seeking an unspecified amount in damages but said this is the only way she feels she can find out the truth.
“We’ve been asking for raw video footage, can’t even get that,” she said at the time of the filing. “We know you redacted the video, edited the video. Let me see the whole video. I don’t trust you. I don’t trust what you’re saying.”
In September 2023, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said no charges would be filed, but the officers violated MPD policy by starting a high-speed chase over a traffic violation, and also had multiple discrepancies in their reports after the shooting.