Trooper gunned down
Two teen suspects nabbed in Nashville
Sgt. Shannon Beasley and officer John Lang of the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office remove 17-year-old Alejandro Guana from a patrol car at the jail on Sunday evening. (Photo by Greg Little)
A relatively normal night for law enforcement in Tipton County changed dramatically Saturday.
It was just after 9:30 p.m. when a 911 dispatcher came on the radio and said there was possibly an officer down on Highway 14 and, even more disturbing, he may have been shot.
That set in motion a chain of events which would eventually unfold in a Tennessee Highway Patrol officer being shot and killed and the suspects apprehended the next day in Nashville.
Calvin Jenks, 24, who had been with the Highway Patrol since 2004 and stationed in West Tennessee since July 2006, was the victim who was shot twice on Highway 14, about a mile southwest of the Highway 54 intersection. He was a newlywed, having been married for just two months, and lived with his wife on Mud Island in Memphis.
Two teenagers from Austin, Texas were arrested in connection with the trooper’s murder Saturday morning at a Best Western motel in Nashville.
Alejandro Guana, 17, and Orlando Garcia, 19, were brought back to Tipton County on Sunday evening. Neither has been formally charged. That is expected to happen Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning.
Tipton County Sheriff J.T. “Pancho” Chumley called the act “very ruthless” and “very senseless.”
Though exact details are still not all being released, some information about the case is starting to unfold.
It was around 9:37 p.m. when the 911 call came to emergency dispatchers. Two hunters traveling on Highway 14 saw the Highway Patrol car parked with its emergency lights operating. The hunters told dispatchers the trooper was laying in the roadway and there was a lot of blood at the scene.
Officials from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said a videotape from Jenks’ car was running and recorded what unfolded.
After the stop was made, the driver of the vehicle apparently was out of the car and admitted to having marijuana in the console, according to officials.
At some point, it appears Jenks went to the driver’s side door of the vehicle to speak with the passenger. That’s when the tape showed two shots were fired by the passenger, killing Jenks. One official who viewed the tape said Jenks fell forward into the vehicle and was removed by the driver before the car sped off.
The trooper’s flashlight was reportedly found later in a trash can at the Wal-Mart in Brownsville.
A published report in The Tennessean said the car ran over the body of the trooper.
But Jennifer Johnson, spokesperson for the TBI, said no information to that effect has been released.
“The TBI has not released the tape,” said Johnson. “We are not revealing the tape.”
After the vehicle left the scene, the two suspects apparently went to the Wal-Mart where one is shown on a store video purchasing a sweatshirt.
Johnson said the car was found about a half-mile from Wal-Mart at Brentwood Apartments in Brownsville. That car was seized and taken in for TBI processing.
She also confirmed they apparently received a ride to Nashville from two other people. It appears the two suspects were dropped off at the Best Western in Nashville.
Johnson said later, the car being driven by the two other people not involved in the shooting was randomly stopped for an apparent traffic infraction by a THP trooper in the Nashville area after they allegedly dropped off Guana and Garcia.
During that stop, the trooper learned the two may have had knowledge of the Tipton County shooting, said Johnson.
Johnson said the trooper contacted TBI officials to relay that information. That’s what led the TBI to that Best Western where they apprehended the two suspects without incident.
Johnson said it remains unclear if the two other people who gave them a ride will be charged in this case.
On Sunday afternoon, Tipton County Sheriff’s Office officials went to Nashville and brought back the two suspects to the jail. Since one was a juvenile, he was not taken into the lockdown area of the jail. It was expected he would be transported to a Memphis facility after being processed in Tipton County.
District Attorney General Mike Dunavant said on Sunday night he was working with all agencies involved before filing any charges. He said that would likely come “late Tuesday or Wednesday.”
Dunavant would also not comment on the status of the juvenile and if he would be charged as an adult.
“We are looking into the murder,” said Dunavant.
Johnson said she believes both will face the same charges.
“I think the same charges will be pursued against them,” said Johnson. “They were both there.”
Nobody is saying which person is accused of being the shooter.
“Everybody wants to know who is the shooter,” said Johnson.
Johnson said because the incident happened in Tipton County and the suspects fled to Nashville and had to be returned locally, it is causing a “time lapse” in the case.
“We hate to say who the trigger man is until we charge them,” said Johnson.
Johnson also said they are not revealing if a weapon was found or if there were drugs found in the car.
“We are not saying any of that yet,” said Johnson.
Drugs seems to be a central focus of this case since the trooper apparently was told by one of the suspects there was drugs in the car.
Some publications have said the two may have been involved in a major Texas to Tennessee drug ring.
But Johnson said it is too early to make any such speculations.
“What we’re saying is more work has to be done to find out if there is a drug connection,” said Johnson.
She did say it “doesn’t add up” that there were “two people from Texas in a rental car” in remote West Tennessee.
“There are a lot of investigations which have to be done,” said Johnson. “We’re not saying there is a drug running connection. I want to emphasize that. We think there could be some drug activity. There is a high likelihood there is some drug activity going on.”
The director of the TBI called Saturday a “sad day for law enforcement. We extend our condolences to the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the family of trooper Jenks,” said Director Mark Gwyn. “No arrest can erase what’s happened, but we hope this will provide some measure of comfort to his loved ones.”
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family,” said Dunavant.
Sheriff Chumley said he wants to make sure those responsible pay for their crimes.
“We want to make sure the people responsible are brought to justice as soon as possible,” said Chumley.
The two will likely be arraigned in Tipton County General Sessions court after they are charged.
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