Updated 8/8/19 at 7:15 p.m. ET: The deceased individual has been identified as Norman Lowell Vandergriff (DOB 07/15/77), of Knoxville.
At the request of 4th District Attorney General James Dunn, TBI Agents continue to investigate the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting in Sevier County.
This morning, deputies from the Knox County Sheriff’s Office received information that a male subject who had several outstanding arrest warrants out of Knox County was at a location in Sevier County. Upon responding to the area, they encountered the man in a vehicle in the 1900 block of Happy Creek Road in Seymour. Preliminary information indicates that deputies approached the vehicle and attempted to take the man into custody. The male subject reportedly refused to comply with verbal commands and began resisting. At some point during the confrontation, the subject displayed a gun which resulted in deputies firing shots at the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy will be performed at the Knox County Regional Forensic Center as part of the ongoing investigation. The name of the male subject is currently being withheld pending the notification of relatives. No law enforcement officers were injured in 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 departments.
Any updates on this investigation will be posted online at TBINewsroom.com.
TBINewsroom.com 