'I know it just wasn't me, it was God in me': Memphis cop saves suicidal teen father with inspirational message



A Memphis police officer is being heralded as a hero and an angel for stopping a suicidal teen father from jumping off a Tennessee bridge.

Officer Tina Shaw is a 15-year veteran of the Memphis Police Department. Shaw is a member of the MPD's Crisis Intervention Team, and she sprang into action when there was a distressed teen contemplating suicide on the I-40 bridge over the Mississippi River.

"The Spirit just led me to go there to see what was going on there and who all was there," Officer Shaw proclaimed.

Shaw said of the 17-year-old, "I got out, and at this point, he was already over the ledge. He was hanging over the ledge, and then he finally went all the way over. Turned his body facing the water."

"Time was of the essence … we didn't want him to make one wrong move," she explained. "I kept asking him, 'Hey, can I come help you? Can I get you down?'"

The young father was reportedly worried about his job and the pressures of life.

"I said, 'Son, it’s gonna be OK. God gonna get you through this,'" Shaw told the young father. "'It's gonna be OK,' and he was crying, and I shed a few tears."

She consoled the teen. "He was pretty much crying out for help, and I saw it in his eyes, and I was telling him, 'Hey, look, your son needs you. There is no you without him, and there is no him without you.'"

"He was crying, and I saw the fear in his eyes," Shaw added. "I was telling him about me being a mother, I think that's what kind of drove him home."

After about 15 minutes, Officer Shaw convinced the teen to step away from the edge of the bridge.

"He was crying when I helped him get down," the mother of two recalled. "It's like we immediately just hugged each other. A few tears roll down my eyes while his were still flowing. It was like a mother and son, as if he was my third child, my third son."

Shaw said that she received help from above to save the suicidal young man. Shaw professed, "I know it just wasn’t me, it was God in me."

The teen was reunited with his family and taken to a facility for help. She said that she had spoken to the teen's mom and plans to reconnect with her "third son."

The Memphis cop stated, "This is one of the reasons why I'm also a police officer. To help people who are suicidal, mentally ill, whether it's ADHD, suicide, or bipolar schizophrenic situations."

She remarked, "People were saying I'm a superhero, I'm an angel, and I appreciate all that dearly, I really do. Because this is something that I normally do every day that kind of get unnoticed. I'm OK with that because I signed up to be a CIT officer. I just tried to display the transparency of officers versus being a human being."

Shaw pointed out, "In spite all the negativity, there are quite a bit of officers on this department that are great."

When asked about how the photo of her hugging the teen makes her feel, Shaw told WREG-TV, "Joy, joy. It was the best feeling in the world."

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'The spirit led me to go': Officer reflects after saving teen father on I-40 bridge www.youtube.com

'Black people can harbor anti-Black sentiments': CNN commentator argues former officers charged in Tyre Nichols' death could have been influenced by racism



Left-wing CNN commentator Van Jones authored an opinion piece suggesting that the former police officers charged in the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols may have been tainted by racism, even though the officers are black, as was the victim.

The five men, who have all been fired from the Memphis Police Department, were charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, and more. Video footage of the Jan. 7 incident was released on Friday. Nichols died just days after incident.

Jones contended that the black officers could have been influenced by racism.

"In short, racial animus can still be a factor, even when the perpetrators are all Black," he wrote.

"At the end of the day, it is the race of the victim who is brutalized — not the race of the violent cop — that is most relevant in determining whether racial bias is a factor in police violence. It's hard to imagine five cops of any color beating a White person to death under similar circumstances. And it is almost impossible to imagine five Black cops giving a White arrestee the kind of beat-down that Nichols allegedly received," Jones asserted.

"One of the sad facts about anti-Black racism is that Black people ourselves are not immune to its pernicious effects. Society’s message that Black people are inferior, unworthy and dangerous is pervasive. Over many decades, numerous experiments have shown that these ideas can infiltrate Black minds as well as White. Self-hatred is a real thing," he wrote. "That's why a Black store owner might regard customers of his same race with suspicion, while treating his White patrons with deference. Black people can harbor anti-Black sentiments and can act on those feelings in harmful ways."

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Memphis police seeking men caught on video vowing to shoot white people, threatening copycat shooting spree



Memphis police are in search of two young men who were on video making threats to shoot white people. In the video, a man appears to mention Ezekiel Kelly – the suspect in the mass shooting rampage that rocked Memphis on Wednesday – and threatens to commit a copycat mass shooting spree.

The Memphis Police Department received tips about men on video threatening white people on Thursday.

"These terroristic threats were posted on social media platforms and specific threats to events occurring in the city of Memphis," the news release from the Memphis Police Department stated.

The Memphis Police Department said in the statement, "The two suspects making the threats are both described as two black males between the ages of 18 to 21 years of age."

The Memphis Police Department also posted screenshot images of the men making violent threats.

Journalist Andy Ngo shared the menacing video on Twitter.

"White folks not feeling like black people," a man is heard saying in the video. "Then they're finna be marching on the river saying, 'White Lives Matter.' Y'all ass through. White folks hate black people."

Another man chimed in by mentioning Eliza Fletcher – the Memphis mother of two and kindergarten teacher who was reportedly abducted while jogging in Memphis last Friday, and her body was found on Monday. Cleotha Henderson is accused of knapping and murdering Fletcher.

"I'm gonna take this s**t back to racism," the first man said. "Man, I hope y'all ready."

The man threatens to go "Zeek mode on a number of white people," in an apparent reference to Ezekiel Kelly – who is accused of killing four during a shooting spree he livestreamed on Facebook.

"I get any white hoe on the side of me, they're gonna get popped tonight," the man said.

"He already shot a white old man," he claimed, then threatened, "I'm for shooting a white old lady while her grandkids in the car."

The Memphis Police Department is asking anyone with information on the men in the video to call Crime Stoppers at 901-528-CASH or submit an anonymous tip. Authorities are offering a $2,000 cash reward for tips that lead to an arrest.

(WARNING: Explicit language)

\u201c"He already shot a white hoe. Man, I'm fixin\u2019 to shoot a white old lady, sh\u2014....while her grandkids in the car.\u201d \n\nVideo of the Memphis men discussing shooting whites. They name the suspected gunman (Ezekiel \u201cZeek\u201d) who went on a shooting spree yesterday.\u201d
— Andy Ng\u00f4 \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Andy Ng\u00f4 \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1662690594