UPDATED 7/18/24 at 12:43 p.m.
At the request of 1st Judicial District Attorney General Steve Finney, TBI agents are investigating the circumstances leading to an officer-involved shooting that occurred Wednesday evening in Johnson City.
Preliminary information indicates that just after 8:30 p.m., officers with the Johnson City Police Department and troopers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol initiated a traffic stop on a Jeep driven by a man known to have an active arrest warrant. The driver refused to stop and began driving erratically, leading authorities to the intersection of Cherokee Road and Lone Oak Road, where troopers attempted to forcibly stop the Jeep using their vehicles. As a Johnson City officer approached the Jeep, the situation escalated. For reasons still under investigation, the officer fired shots, striking the driver. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. A female passenger sustained minor injuries during the incident. She was also transported to a local hospital, where she was treated and released. No officers 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 