At the request of 4th District Attorney General James Dunn, TBI Special Agents are investigating the circumstances that led to an officer-involved shooting that occurred this morning in Pigeon Forge.

Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 10:30 a.m., officers with the Pigeon Forge Police Department were at an apartment located in the 2800 block of Suncrest Drive attempting to serve an arrest warrant on Samuel Charles Talbott (DOB 3/5/77). When Talbott was confronted, he produced a knife and grabbed another individual who was inside the residence. Talbott refused to comply with numerous verbal commands to drop the weapon. The situation escalated and resulted in one of the officers firing at least one shot, striking Talbott. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No one else was injured during the incident.

This remains an active and ongoing investigation, as TBI Special Agents 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 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 their respective department.

Any updates on this investigation will be posted online at TBINewsroom.com.

Published by Leslie Earhart