At the request of 2nd District Attorney General Barry Staubus, TBI Agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred Tuesday afternoon in Sullivan County.
Preliminary information indicates that just before 1:00 p.m., deputies with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office received information that a male subject, who was known to have active arrest warrants, was in the area of Highway 75, near the Tri-Cities Airport. Deputies spotted the man driving a maroon Suzuki Forenza and initiated a traffic stop. The driver, identified as Attilio A. Gilmartin (DOB 2/8/89), of Bluff City, failed to stop and led officers on a pursuit along Highway 75 and onto several secondary roads before turning right onto Highway 394 near Blountville. At some point during the pursuit, Gilmartin fired shots at deputies from the moving vehicle and continued to travel along Highway 394 toward Bluff City. He then turned onto White Top Road and continued to flee from deputies until he reached the 900 block of Silver Grove Road. Deputies ordered him out of the vehicle. At some point after exiting the vehicle, he reportedly grabbed a gun and fired shots at officers. Sullivan County deputies along with one officer from the Bluff City Police Department returned fire, striking Gilmartin. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured during the incident.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation as TBI Special Agents and Forensic Scientists 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.
TBINewsroom.com 