Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Man Charged with Fatally Shooting MPD Officer Sentenced to 27 ½ years in Federal Prison
Memphis, TN – A man charged with fatally shooting Memphis Police Department Officer Sean Bolton was sentenced today for being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition and armed carjacking. The defendant, Tremaine Wilbourn, 31, has pending state charges for capital murder. Lawrence J. Laurenzi, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentencing today.
On August 1, 2015, Wilbourn was in the passenger seat of a vehicle parked on a street in East Memphis when Officer Bolton approached the vehicle. Officer Bolton attempted to detain Wilbourn before the defendant pulled a 9mm pistol and shot Bolton several times.
Facts from hearings in the case outline that shortly after the shooting, Wilbourn used a firearm to carjack a man of a 2002 Honda Accord.
On July 28, 2017, the Honorable U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Wilbourn to 25 years’ imprisonment and 3 years supervised release. Wilbourn also received an additional 30 months of incarceration for violating his supervised release, which is to run consecutive to his 25-year sentence.
The state charges against Wilbourn for the murder of Officer Bolton are pending.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in conjunction with the Memphis Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case on the government’s behalf.
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