The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation released its report Thursday on the Memphis police involved shooting that left Jonathon (also Jonathan) Bratcher dead. Bratcher was shot by police in January in South Memphis.
The entire 300 page TBI report including photos and body camera video was posted on the website of Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich. It also provides details into Bratcher’s criminal history, forensic reports and statements from witnesses and officers at the scene.
TBI files are not typically open to the public, but last week a judge granted Weirich’s request to release it.
Some of the body camera video in the report includes footage from a Shelby County deputy who jumped in to assist officers at the time.
The report states a Memphis Police officer tried pulling Bratcher over for traffic violation.
Bratcher’s passenger gave a sworn statement saying Bratcher, also known as “Tojo,” was speeding when an officer came up behind them.
The passenger said Bratcher told him he had a gun, and as Bratcher tried to drive away he hit another car.
The passenger said after the crash they ran in opposite directions and Bratcher had a gun with blue bandana wrapped around the clip.
As the passenger ran, he said didn’t look back but heard up to 16 shots from two different guns.
Other witnesses also claimed hearing 15 to 20 shots fired. One witness did not recall seeing Bratcher with a gun.
The TBI report removed the officers’ names, but investigators have told us officers Clement Marks and Alexander Fleites are the ones who exchanged gunfire with Bratcher before he was killed.
One officer stated as Bratcher was shooting from behind a car people were trying to leaving a nearby church, when it came to the point he, the officer, had to end it and aimed for Bratcher’s head.
Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich announced last month that no criminal charges would be filed against the Memphis officers. She stated the officers fired their weapons in self-defense. According to the D.A.’s website, MPD police car video is being redacted and will be available next week.
(SHELBY COUNTY D.A. NEWS RELEASE)
MEMPHIS – December 8, 2016 – The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation report on an officer-involved shooting last January in South Memphis has been made available by Shelby County Dist. Atty. Gen. Amy Weirich.
The TBI investigative file in the shooting death of Jonathon Bratcher (aka Jonathan Bratcher) was made public by Gen. Weirich. The file may be viewed by following this link: TBI BRATCHER FILE.
D.A. Weirich obtained court approval last week from Shelby County Chancellor JoeDae L. Jenkins.
TBI files are an exception to public records laws and are not open to the public without a subpoena or a court order. Gen. Weirich told the chancellor last week that release of the detailed TBI file would give the public a more thorough understanding of the widely publicized incident.
Bratcher, 32, was killed by police on Jan. 27, 2016, near Mississippi Boulevard and South Parkway East after he began shooting at officers while fleeing to avoid arrest. Gen. Weirich announced last month that no criminal charges would be brought against the officers and that they were justified in firing their weapons at the suspect in self-defense, in the defense of others and in order to affect an arrest.
That decision was made following a review of an investigative file compiled by the Violent Crime Response Team of the TBI. The file contains hundreds of pages of statements from officers and witnesses, crime scene details, video and photographs, and forensic reports.
By law and court order, personal identifying information in the file has been redacted.
Video from a deputy’s body camera also is included. The video recorded the sound of gunfire and the scene, but was not in a position to record the shooting. Additional MPD footage from Units that arrived after the shooting is being redacted and should be available next week.
All fatal shootings involving law enforcement officers of the Memphis Police Department or the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department are investigated by the TBI, according to a memorandum of understanding signed in October of last year by those parties and by Gen. Weirich.
The final report goes to the District Attorney for a legal review of the TBI’s factual findings and a determination of whether any criminal laws were violated and whether an indictment should be sought.
Read the full files here:
