Updated 04/09 at 6:00 p.m. ET: The deceased individual has been identified as Anthony Orlando Bowers (DOB 04/18/94), of Asheville, N.C.
At the request of 3rd District Attorney General Dan Armstrong, TBI Agents are investigating the circumstances surrounding an officer-involved shooting that occurred Sunday evening in the 100 block of Mason Street in Greeneville.
Preliminary information indicates that just before 11:00 on Sunday evening, officers with the Greeneville Police Department attempted to make a traffic stop on a vehicle they observed speeding along Tusculum Boulevard. The driver failed to stop and led officers on a pursuit. The vehicle eventually came to a stop in the 100 block of Mason Street, where the driver got out of the car and ran into a nearby apartment complex. Officers made contact with the female passenger who identified the man as Joshua Howard and stated that he lived with her in an apartment located at 144 Mason Street. The woman took officers to the apartment and gave them consent to search for Howard. Upon entering the residence, officers identified themselves and encountered a second male subject who did not reside at the apartment. For reasons still under investigation, the man became combative, pulled a gun on the officers, and fired shots. Two of the officers were struck. The two officers returned fire, hitting the man. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Both officers were also transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Efforts to positively identify the deceased individual remain ongoing.
Joshua Howard was later located and taken into custody by the Greeneville Police Department.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation, as TBI Special Agents and Forensic Scientists continue to work to gather any and all relevant interviews and evidence. As in any case, TBI’s investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General throughout the process for his further consideration and review.
As is our policy, the TBI does not identify the officers involved in these types of incidents and instead refers questions of that nature to the respective department.
Any updates on this investigation will be posted online at TBINewsroom.com.
TBINewsroom.com 