On a summer evening in Memphis, Tennessee, the life of 39-year-old Memphis Police Officer Timothy Felton Warren was tragically cut short. On Sunday, July 3, 2011, Officer Warren responded to a domestic violence call at a DoubleTree Hotel. A man had gone to the hotel in search of a woman and, after finding her, shot and killed a male companion she was with.
Officer Warren was one of the first to arrive at the chaotic scene and began searching for the suspect on an upper floor of the
hotel. As he was in a stairwell, the gunman opened a connecting door and fatally shot him in the head. The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Alexander Haydel, was taken into custody at the scene.
Subsequent investigation revealed a chilling plot. According to a police affidavit, Haydel had used his Army infantry training to plan the killing of more police officers. This included gaining a tactical advantage by moving to higher ground and using fire extinguishers in an attempt to disorient and ambush responding officers who would be attending to their fallen comrade. After shooting Officer Warren, Haydel took his firearm and two fully loaded magazines with the alleged intention of continuing his deadly assault.
Haydel was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Officer Timothy Warren and the other man at the hotel. On January 13, 2014, he pleaded guilty to both charges. As a result of his plea, Alexander Haydel was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, bringing a legal conclusion to the violent rampage that cost two men their lives.
