Memorial services announced for fallen officer in McNairy County
UPDATE: A GoFundMe has been organized to support Finley’s family during this time. Click here for information.
MCNAIRY COUNTY, Tenn. — We have further details regarding an officer-involved shooting that happened over the weekend.
The Selmer and McNairy County community is grieving the loss of Deputy Sheriff Sergeant Rick Finley. Finley served as a full-time worker for the McNairy County Sheriff’s Department and part time for the Selmer Police Department.
On Saturday, December 14 around 3p.m., Finley, with the Selmer Police Department, responded to a report of a suspicious person outside of a home. Police say while at the scene, Finley encountered Daniel Jeremiah Holmes, 39, who then attacked Finley. Soon after this attack, Holmes began firing several shots at officer Finley, striking and killing him.
SEE ALSO: More details emerge involving the death of Selmer officer ( Dec. 14, 2024)
After Finley was shot, another Selmer police officer arrived to the scene. Holmes then fired his weapon at the other Selmer officer. The second officer then fatally shot Holmes who was pronounced dead at the scene. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is working on this case at this time.
Sheriff Buck with the McNairy County Sheriff’s Department says this:
“Here at the sheriff’s office, we’re a small office. We’re not like Memphis or Nashville that have thousands of officers. We’re very small and everybody here is a family member — we treat them as such. We feel like we haven’t lost an employee, we lost a member of our family. I don’t have anything negative to say about Finley. He was a great employee, he was a great father. He was a great husband and he is going to be missed by all of us,” said Sheriff Buck.
The community of McNairy County will come together to honor Deputy Sheriff Sgt. Rick Finley with a Sea of Blue on Wednesday, December 18 at 6 p.m. The Sea of Blue will be held at the Robert K. Lee Justice Complex located at 300 Industrial Park Drive in Selmer.
The McNairy County Sheriff’s Office also invites community members to honor the life and service of Finley during memorial services on Thursday, December 19. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. and be held at Lakeview Church, located at 877 West Cherry Ave Selmer, TN.
The Funeral Service will begin at 4:00 p.m. There will be no graveside ceremony and everyone is dismissed at the conclusion of the service.
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