Tag: sean bolton

Tremaine Wilbourn turned himself in Tuesday afternoon.

Tremaine Wilbourn, the man accused of shooting Memphis Police officer Sean Bolton on Saturday night, turned himself in to authorities on Monday afternoon.

Memphis Police Director (MPD) Toney Armstrong was contacted at 4:53 p.m. and advised that Wilbourn had turned himself in to the U.S. Marshalls Office. Wilbourn was then taken into MPD custody and is being questioned by the MPD’s homicide bureau.

“I would again like to thank everyone, the citizens of Memphis, residents abroad, and fellow law enforcement agencies who have reached out with prayers, condolences, and support. In particular, I want to thank the officers of the Memphis Police Department and the U.S. Marshals’ services for their tireless efforts,” Armstrong said in a press release issued on Monday afternoon.

On Saturday night at 9:18 p.m., the MPD received a call from one of their own radios after a citizen found Bolton and used his radio to call for help. Bolton was shot multiple times and later died at the Regional Medical Center.

Before he was shot, Bolton had approached a 2002 Mercedes-Benz that was parked illegally on Summerland Avenue in Parkway Village. A passenger in the vehicle, later identified as Wilbourn, confronted Bolton. A brief struggle ensued between the two, and Wilbourn allegedly shot Bolton multiple times. The driver of the vehicle and the suspect fled the scene, but the driver later turned himself into police. He was released without charge.

Police searched the vehicle after the driver turned himself in and found 1.7 grams of pot and some digital scales. They believe Bolton interrupted a drug deal, and police are unsure if any drugs were removed from the vehicle after the car fled the scene.

Wilbourn was on supervised release by the U.S. Western District Court for a 121-month sentence for bank robbery. 

Tremaine Wilbourn

The Memphis Police Department (MPD) has identified the gunman who killed officer Sean Bolton, 33, on Saturday night. A warrant for first-degree murder has been issued for 29-year-old Tremaine Wilbourn. Wilbourn remains at large, and a police spokesperson issued an email that said he is “considered to be armed and dangerous.”

On Saturday night at 9:18 p.m., the MPD received a call from one of their own radios after a citizen found Bolton and used his radio to call for help. Bolton was shot multiple times and later died at the Regional Medical Center.

The MPD has issued new information explaining that Bolton had approached a 2002 Mercedes-Benz that was parked illegally on Summerland Avenue in Parkway Village. A passenger in the vehicle, later identified as Wilbourn, confronted Bolton. A brief struggle ensued between the two, and Wilbourn allegedly shot Bolton multiple times. The driver of the vehicle and the suspect fled the scene, but the driver later turned himself into police. He was released without charge.

Police searched the vehicle after the driver turned himself in and found 1.7 grams of pot and some digital scales. They believe Bolton interrupted a drug deal, and police are unsure if any drugs were removed from the vehicle after the car fled the scene.

Wilbourn is currently on supervised release by the U.S. Western District Court for a 121-month sentence for bank robbery. 

”As I have said many times, to lose a loved one or a family member is a horrific event. Last night, we lost not only an officer, but a great man, a dedicated servant to our community, and a family member,” said MPD Director Toney Armstrong in a statement.

The U.S. Marshall Service is offering a $10,000 reward for the arrest of Wilbourn. Anyone with information on Wilbourn’s whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 528-CASH.

Bolton was hired by the MPD in 2010 and worked at Mt. Moriah station. He graduated from White Station High School in 1999. He was veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and served in Iraq.