TBI Agents Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting in Sevierville

*Updated 12/18/20 at 7:05 p.m. (ET) – The deceased individual has been identified as Joshua Hoffpauir (DOB 3/18/87), of Sevierville. 

*Updated 12/18/20 at 1:15 p.m. (ET): Efforts to positively identify the deceased individual remain ongoing. The other two individuals involved have been identified as Mitchell Gagel (DOB 12/2/97) and Tiffany Leshay Mynatt (DOB 1/16/82).

*Updated 12/18/20 at 12:55 p.m. (ET) to include additional details about the incident.

At the request of 4th District Attorney General James Dunn, TBI Special Agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred Thursday evening in Sevierville. 

Preliminary information indicates that just before 9:00, the Sevierville Police Department responded to a report of an armed robbery in the parking lot of a business located in the 600 block of the Parkway. Upon arrival, officers spotted an SUV occupied by the reported robbery suspects. The driver of the vehicle refused to stop, and a pursuit ensued. The pursuit ended near Bluegrass Road after the SUV became disabled. As officers were attempting to order the three occupants out of the vehicle, the situation escalated, and for reasons still under investigation, officers fired shots, striking all three individuals. The driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. The two other occupants were transported to a local hospital for treatment. One Sevierville officer received minor injuries during the pursuit as a result of a collision. The Tennessee Highway Patrol is the agency handling the crash investigation.

 At this time, the investigation remains active and ongoing, as TBI Agents and Forensic Scientists continue to gather any and all relevant evidence, interviews, and information. Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the District Attorney General for his further review and consideration.  

The TBI does not identify the officers involved in these types of incidents and, instead, refer questions of that nature to their respective department to answer as it sees fit.  

As a reminder, the TBI acts solely as fact-finders in its cases and does not determine whether the actions of an officer were justified in these types of matters. That decision rests solely with the District Attorney General requesting TBI’s involvement. 

Any updates on this investigation, including the names of the subjects involved, will be posted online at TBINewsroom.com.