Tennessee officials ID man shot by deputies in Memphis neighborhood

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee state investigators have identified a man fatally shot by deputies Friday during an encounter in a Memphis neighborhood.

James Q. Hampton, 30, was killed as Shelby County deputies attempted to serve a warrant in an ongoing drug case, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

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Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement that deputies were serving the high-risk warrant around 3:30 p.m. Friday in the 3100 block of Barron Avenue.

“Upon arrival, a man waiting in a vehicle sped toward a team of SWAT deputies,” the statement read. “Deputies fired at the vehicle, fatally wounding the driver.”

Hampton died at the scene, TBI agents said.

The names of the involved deputies, all members of the SWAT team, have not been released. It was not immediately clear whether they remain on active duty.

TBI investigators are working to independently determine the sequence of events that led to Hampton’s death, according to a news release.

“Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for his further review and consideration,” the release states. “The TBI acts solely as fact-finders in its cases and does not determine whether the officers’ actions were justified in these types of matters.”

Several people who fled the scene are being sought for questioning, Bonner said. Deputies searching the home found drugs and several weapons with high-capacity magazines, as well as a handgun equipped with a Glock switch.

A Glock switch, when attached to the back of a Glock handgun, modifies the semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic machine gun. They are illegal to possess in the U.S.

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