MEMPHIS, TN – Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons announced Wednesday that the state Grand Jury for Shelby County had returned a criminal indictment against a Germantown physician who allegedly shot at Germantown police during an August incident in the backyard of the doctor’s home.
The Grand Jury indicted James Van Ellis, 56, for two counts of attempted first degree murder, a class A felony. The indictment says that Ellis attempted to kill Officer Davis Herndon and Captain Lee Covey on August 16th at 8670 Tan Oak.
Officer Herndon returned fire, striking Dr. Ellis. The District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute. Officer Herndon for the shooting, citing “insufficient evidence of a criminal offense.”
Dr. Ellis has been in a mental health treatment facility since the incident. Germantown police officers transported him to the Shelby County Jail on Wednesday, where he is being held on a $25,000 bond. An arraignment date has not been set.
The standard sentence for a class A felony, if convicted, is 15-25 years in prison.
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