Updated 4/19/23 at 5:30 p.m. – The deceased individual has been identified as Casey Eric Crowley (DOB: 3/26/75) of North Carolina.
At the request of 2nd Judicial District Attorney General Barry Staubus, TBI special agents are investigating an officer-involved shooting that occurred this afternoon.
Preliminary information indicates that just before 1:00, deputies with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a request for a welfare check on a man who was reportedly unconscious in a truck parked at the Dollar General store located in the 1400 block of Highway 126 in Bristol. Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the man. According to reports from the scene, the man refused to get out of the vehicle. At some point during the encounter, the man produced a gun, resulting in two deputies firing shots, striking him. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies were injured during the incident.
TBI agents are working to independently determine the series of events leading to the shooting, including collecting evidence and conducting interviews. Throughout the process, investigative findings will be shared with the district attorney general for his further review and consideration. 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 with the district attorney general requesting TBI’s involvement.
The TBI does not identify the officers involved in these types of incidents and instead refers questions of that nature to the respective department to answer as it sees fit.
Any available updates on this investigation will be posted online at TBINewsroom.com.
TBINewsroom.com 