100 Club of Memphis Honors Award Recipients at its 2023 Annual Dinner

Award Recipients

JEROME TURNER AWARD
Antoine Smith
Memphis Police Department
Antoine C. Smith has been a Memphis Police Officer for fourteen years. He is assigned to uniform patrol at Mt. Moriah Station. In addition to his regular duties, Officer Smith has devoted himself to giving back to the community to help children. Officer Smith gives time, leadership, and energy to the youth of our community.  In 2018 Officer Smith saw a need to mentor local children through athletics. He created Youth Uniting, a nonprofit to provide youth activities for underserved children. Youth Uniting leads The Memphis Roadrunners, a team that competes in the Memphis Municipal Football League in several different age groups. The original football team has grown to four teams. Officer Smith’s organization serves children aged five to thirteen, for at least ten months out of the year and provides mentorship, academic help and other social services support. Officer Smith’s program has grown to now serve one hundred ten children a year. Not only do the children participate in athletics, but Officer Smith also teaches them community service through projects like community clean events where they work side by side with others.  Office Smith organizes field trips both inside the city of Memphis and out of town.  Responsibility, discipline, tenacity, respect and gratitude are always emphasized.

To keep Youth Uniting operating, Office Smith has raised financial and in-kind donations from Memphis area businesses, schools, churches and neighborhood associations. Office Smith does every job needed, from coaching, painting the fields, transporting youths, laundering uniforms and administrative work.  Officer Smith is an example of the high expectations of Memphis Police Officers and he serves the community with a joyful heart.

VALOR AWARD
William Hickman, Jonathan Newport, Lawrence Taylor
Memphis Police Department
On Wednesday, August 17, 2022 at 1pm, Memphis Police Department (MPD) Dispatch received and dispatched a “Shots Fired” call to 3896 Lamar Ave (Economy Hotel).  In Mt. Moriah Station. The call was made by an anonymous male. Officer Lawrence Taylor arrived first on the scene.  As Officer Taylor spoke to a security guard, shots were fired towards them from a broken hotel room window. Officer Taylor drew his weapon, took cover and advised Dispatch that shots were being fired. The male subject used furniture and a mattress to barricade himself in his room. All available Mt. Moriah officers responded to the scene. This included Officer Jonathan Newport. Officer Newport positioned himself behind a squad car and more shots began to be fired at 1:44pm.  A city-wide call for officers with patrol rifles was requested.  Several officers responded to the scene, including Officer William Hickman from Crump Station.  Upon surveying the scene, Officer Hickman left cover and raced through the parking lot to join Officer Newport behind the squad car. Office Taylor has meanwhile obtained a master key to the room from the hotel manager.  Office Taylor led a team of officers into the interior hallway of the hotel and evacuated rooms as they advanced.  As officer Taylor and his team advance, Officers Newport and Hickman remained behind the squad car with dozens of officers surrounding he hotel, as the suspect began shooting repeatedly at the officers.  He shot both out of the window and into the hallway.  Eight separate exchanges of gunfire were documented.

The suspect jumped out of the window at 2:12pm and began running. He was apprehended by the containment officers.  As he climbed up a window in an attempt to escape, he dropped his handgun – which was a .45 caliber GLOCK with a fifty-round magazine.  The weapon was empty. Forty-two spent .45 caliber casings were found in the hotel room along with a few live rounds of ammo. Officer Taylor fired three rounds at the suspect, Office Newport fired eight rounds at the suspect and Hickman fired nineteen rounds at the suspect. Thankfully, nobody was injured, in large part due to the three aforementioned officers’ actions and their willingness to place themselves in harm’s way. Their repeated engagement with the suspect prevented him from taking aimed shots at officers and civilians.  When the investigation concluded, Marvin Conley, age 38, was charged with thirty-five counts of Attempted First Degree Murder and for being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun. These officers are here tonight being honored with friends and family present and with all of our gratitude.

Photo credits: Officer Mercedes Rodriguez, Memphis Police Department