Authorities in Arkansas and Tennessee are still searching for 40-year-old Danell Maxwell, who is accused of shooting a Memphis police officer in the face during a traffic stop Thursday night. The manhunt spans from Parkway Village in Memphis to the streets of West Memphis, Arkansas, where Maxwell has known addresses and acquaintances.

Details of the Shooting

Maxwell faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and employment of a firearm in the commission of a dangerous felony. He was also added to Tennessee’s Most Wanted List, with a $2,500 reward offered for information leading to his arrest.

According to Memphis police, Maxwell shot Officer Oscar Torres-Molina on South Perkins Road near Aloha Avenue in the Parkway Village area around 8 p.m. Thursday. A fellow officer rushed Torres-Molina to Regional One Hospital in his squad car, and MPD shut down all ramps along the I-240 path to the hospital following the shooting.

Parkway Village resident Chris Wickham said he heard the gunshot from nearby. ‘It was like a real ‘bang’… like a car backfiring,’ Wickham said.

Law Enforcement Response

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a Blue Alert following the shooting, with the message appearing on phones and highway signs. Members of the Memphis Safe Task Force and Tennessee National Guard were part of the response at the scene Thursday night. The law enforcement presence surpassed the search for Ezekiel Kelly, who went on a citywide shooting spree in 2022, killing three and wounding four.

Maxwell’s prior record includes an arrest for violating the open container law in 2012 and a charge of driving without a license in 2017. Officer Torres-Molina graduated from the Memphis Police Academy in 2022.

His partner described him as ‘tough, resilient, the kind of officer who runs toward the danger.’ Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis said in a statement: ‘We will use every resource available to locate and apprehend the suspect. Our focus remains on the recovery of our officer and ensuring the safety of this community.’

Memphis Mayor Paul Young called the shooting ‘an unacceptable act of violence that no officer should ever face while serving in our community.’

Public Reaction

Wickham, the Parkway Village resident, also reacted to the shooting. ‘It’s stupid. Come on, the guy was doing his job,’ he said.

Danell Maxwell is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. Authorities consider him armed and dangerous.

Call MPD at 901-528-2274 or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND if you think you’ve seen him.