At the request of 11th Judicial District Attorney General Coty Wamp, TBI special agents are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led to an officer-involved shooting Sunday night involving deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office.
Preliminary information indicates that deputies with the Catoosa County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office initiated the pursuit of a driver suspected of kidnapping a young child and assaulting an officer. When the driver traveled across the Tennessee state line into Hamilton County on Interstate 75, deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office joined the pursuit. After deploying tire deflation devices, the vehicle came to a stop around the 12-mile marker. At that time, the driver reportedly began shooting at deputies who returned fire striking and killing the individual. Two Hamilton County deputies were injured in the exchange and were transported to an area hospital. A minor child in the vehicle was recovered safely. The deceased individual has been identified as Tyler L. Roberts (DOB: 2/22/92).
At this time, this investigation remains active and ongoing. 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 her 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 