Man accused of shooting Memphis police officer during Friday traffic stop arrested

A suspect has been arrested after a Memphis Police Department officer was shot four times Friday morning during a traffic stop, interim Memphis Police Department Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis said. The officer was in "critical but stable" condition Friday morning.

Geronimo Kee, 22, was located in North Memphis several hours after the shooting and was in custody as of 9:45 a.m., Davis said. The vehicle Kee was driving was located about a mile away from the original shooting site.

In a social media post early Friday, MPD said an officer had pulled over a vehicle at 4:19 a.m. on I-240 near South Parkway. At some point during the stop, the department said the officer told dispatchers he had been shot.

The driver left the scene, MPD said, and the officer was taken to Regional One in critical condition. Outside the hospital Friday morning, Davis said the officer pulled over the driver for speeding and was in the process of writing a ticket when the suspect allegedly opened fire.

The officer, who has not been identified, was shot four times, Davis said, and officers returned fire. Kee had an injury to his hand when arrested but Davis said it was not clear when or how that was sustained.

Davis said the officer underwent surgery Friday morning and was recovering.

Davis said an investigation into the incident is ongoing.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, or (901) 208-3922 and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @LucasFinton.